Shining Friendship
by DJ Lady Moony
Summary: Conclusion- Tori and Joey have been through a lot, but will their lastest challange finally drive them apart? (Sequel coming soon)
1. Torina Peg

"Hey, Yugi- check out the new girl." It was the last period of the day, a study hall, when Yugi Moto looked in the same direction as his best friend, Joey Wheeler, his finger pointed at a girl sitting alone in the front of the classroom. Her hair was the first thing to catch your eye, being that it was a fiery red in color and stuck out around the sides, followed by her taste in clothing. She was wearing a light blue shirt, with aqua colored sleeves, black denim pants and a sash matching her shirtsleeves tied around her waist.

"Yes, I see her," replied Yugi. "Why?" Joey smiled.

"She's kinda cute, ain't she?" Teá Gardener, the only girl in the group, groaned.

"How can you tell?" she asked him. "Her back's to us." Before Joey could answer, his long time friend, Tristen made a comment of his own. 

"The back looks good to me." Yugi had stopped listening to the conversation shortly after answering Joey's question. He watched the girl over at a desk in the front of the room, away from everyone else. As Tea had said, her back remained to them- he had yet to see her face. He didn't know if she wanted seclusion, or was just afraid to speak to new people. He stood up- there was one way to find out.

"Hey, Yuge, where you going?" asked Joey. Yugi looked at him and smiled.

"I'll be right back, Joey."

With that, Yugi walked over to the girl and cleared his throat. She looked up at him from her book- her dark brown eyes were outlined by a pair of silver framed eyeglasses that rested on her rose colored cheeks. He could see that there was some sort of design on her shirt, colored dark blue and surrounded by a black circle, and a large chain necklace around her neck.

"Hello," he said. "I noticed you sitting here by yourself and, well I was wondering if you'd like to come sit with me and my friends." A surprised look came over her face, followed by her biting her lip in hesitation. After a moment, she nodded.

"Sure," she replied. "I-I'd love to." She picked up her stuff and followed Yugi over to his friends. Teá noticed right off that she seemed really nervous, but couldn't tell why. Teá looked at the new girl and gave a friendly smile.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Teá- what's your name?" The girl looked back at Teá and smiled as she sat down.

"I'm Torina," she replied. "Torina Peg." After the rest of the group introduced themselves and talked for a bit, Torina seemed to relax but was still kind of quiet, prompting Yugi to ask her a question.

"Torina," he said. "The design on your shirt- what is it? It looks like something off a Duel Monsters card." Torina instantly brightened up.

"It's the symbol for light," she replied. "And it is on a lot of Duel Monsters cards- do you play, Yugi?"

"Play?" asked Joey. "Torina, this man is a champion!" Torina bit her lip again, then her eyes widened as a bright light filled them.

"Wait a second- your the Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler? From the Duelist Kingdom?" As Yugi and Joey nodded, Teá noticed that Torina's excitement seemed genuine, but it also seemed to be hiding something. "That is so cool!" Torina continued. "I really wanted to participate in the tournament but... my uncle wouldn't let me." Yugi was about to ask why she wasn't allowed to be in the tournament, when he got a good look at her necklace. Like he had noticed before, it was a charm on a large chain- a gold diamond with the same designs as his Millennium Puzzle.

"Torina, your necklace," he said. "Is it a Millennium Item?" Torina put a hand to the charm, then looked at Yugi and shook her head.

"Nope, sorry Yugi," she replied. "A lot of people have thought that and tried to steal it, but this was actually made after the seven Millennium Items."

"What's it called?" asked Tristen. 

"Called?" asked Torina. Yugi held up his puzzle.

"Mine is called the Millennium Puzzle," he said, taking note that Torina took particular interest in the puzzle when he mentioned it's name. "Does yours have a special name?" Torina nodded.

"It's called the Millennia Diamond, created by an Egyptian queen, wife of a great Pharaoh." 

"Wow," said Teá. "Was it really?" Torina nodded. "How do you know all this, Torina?" Torina smiled. She really liked Teá- she was such a nice person, how could you not?"

"I did some research shortly after I got it. The Queen who had it made was named Hikaru. She..." Before Torina could say more, the bell rang, signaling the students that it was time to go home. Torina bit her lip. "Darn it, I gotta go. Do you guys wanna get together this weekend? I'd love to hear about the Duelist Kingdom and I could tell you more about the Millennia Diamond."

"That sounds great, Torina!" said Yugi. "My grandpa owns the local card shop- we can meet there tomorrow." Torina nodded eagerly.

"Excellent! I'll see ya then. Bai guys- See ya later, Teá!" With that Torina picked up her stuff and skipped out of the room, with Yugi and co. looking on.

"What do you think of her, guys?" asked Teá. "Did she seem a little... well, nervous to you?" Tristen nodded.

"Yeah, I kinda got that feeling," he admitted. "Wonder why that was." Yugi shook his head.

"I've got a feeling that whatever it is, she'll let us know when she's ready." Suddenly Torina rushed back into the room, handed a slip of paper to Teá and rushed back out. Confused, everyone looked at Teá. 

"What is it, Teá?" asked Tristen. Teá shrugged, then looked at the slip.

"My cell number," she read to herself. "867-5309. Give me a call sometime! Torina." Teá smiled, then said aloud: "Looks like I've made a new friend."

A short time later, Torina walked into an old warehouse downtown. She had bought the place shortly after coming into town three days ago- a recently acquired building, with the bill paid in cash, would be difficult for her uncle, her 'guardian,' to find, which was exactly the way she wanted it. After what it took to get away, she didn't know what she'd do if her uncle ever found her. But that was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. She'd rather not think about it ever.

She walked towards the back of the warehouse, where a small bedroom type area had been set up, complete with bed, desk, dresser; all the comforts of home- someone else's home. The one she left never looked this causal. Torina set her backpack next to her desk and plopped face up on her bed. She remained there for a second before sitting up and putting a hand on the Millennia Diamond.

"Oh, Hikaru," she said. "What am I gonna do?" Suddenly, the room filled with a bright yellow light. When it disappeared, there was someone sitting on the bed next to Torina... someone who looked just like her, except a little taller- Hikaru, Egyptian Queen and spirit of the Millennia Diamond. She put an arm around Torina's shoulder and held her close in a motherly type hug.

"There, there Torina," she said. "It's not that bad, is it?" Torina nodded, shook her head, and nodded again. "I take it you're not so sure yourself?"

"Hikaru, I met the most wonderful group of people today. They invited me over to sit with them, talked to me like I was an old friend... and this one girl, Teá was really nice too."

"So what's the problem?" Torina sighed.

"They're friends with Torina Peg. If they found out who I really was, they'd never speak to me again."

"You don't know that, Torina," said Hikaru. "These people asked you to sit with them before really knowing you, unlike the others who said they were your friends." Torina knew this was true- everyone else who called themselves her friends only said that because of who her uncle was. Yugi, Teá, Joey and Tristen didn't know who he was, but still, Hikaru didn't know the whole story... yet.

"Hikaru, do you remember hearing about Yugi Moto? From the Duelist Kingdom?" Hikaru nodded. "He's one of my new friends." Hikaru bit her lip, looking even more like Torina as she did so.

"That complicates things a bit, doesn't it?" she asked, causing Torina to grin and give a light chuckle- Hikaru's constant restatements of the obvious always made her laugh.

"There is another thing," Torina said. "But this one is something good."

"And what is that?" asked Hikaru. Torina's grin turned to a full-fledged smile.

"I think I may have finally found your husband." Hikaru looked astonished, her jaw dropping slightly.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Torina shook her head.

"No, but I know one way to find out."

Hikaru was about to say more, when Torina's cell phone rang. Hikaru looked at the phone, then at Torina, a look of worry expressed on her face.

"Don't worry," said Torina. "I changed the number after we left- so Uncle Max couldn't find us. Besides me, the phone company and the school, only one other person knows the number." She reached for the phone and pressed the talk button. "Torina Peg."

"Torina?" asked a voice. "This is Teá."


	2. Magic

Torina hung up the phone, giggling like there was no tomorrow. She looked up at her clock- it was after seven o'clock, meaning she had been on the phone for about four hours. Where had the time gone? She sat back, wondering what to do now... finally she took out her cards. Which didn't help because she had no one to duel with at the moment since Hikaru was in the Millennia Diamond. Seeing nothing better to do, she stared at the clock. For some strange reason it seemed to be moving slower all of a sudden. Hikaru came out with an amused expression. 

"What are you doing?" she asked. 

"Staring at the clock," Torina replied with a straight face before grinning. "Wanna duel?"

"You really think you can beat me? My husband was the one that taught me, remember?" Torina nodded but they still dueled. After a while before Torina got tired. As she laid down in bed, she grinned, thinking of their plans tomorrow. Then, she fell asleep.

The next morning Torina woke up early to meet with Teá and the rest of the gang. She grabbed her deck, the Millennia Diamond, and headed off. The first person she saw was Teá, heading into a card shop.

"Hi Teá!" Torina called, jogging over. Teá looked over her shoulder and instantly smiled.

"Hey, Torina!" she called back, as she waited for her new friend.

"So where is everybody?" Torina asked.

"Yugi's finishing up chores, Joey accidentally overslept, and Tristen's on his way," Teá replied.

"Hi, Teá, Torina!" Yugi called, coming down. After giving the girls a warm smile, Yugi introduced Torina to his grandfather.

"Torina, this is my grandfather, Solomon Moto." Torina smiled as she shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Moto," she said.

"Likewise, Torina," Grandpa replied. "Yugi has told me about you and your Millennia Diamond- there is a story behind it?" Torina nodded.

"Yes, it's a long story... well, a short story but too long to tell more than once. I'd love to tell you about it when Tristen and Joey get here though." As though cued to do so, Joey and Tristen walked in the door. Torina smiled. "Perfect timing."

"So what's the story around the Millennia Diamond?" Yugi asked when they were all settled. As Torina started her tale, Hikaru began to flash back to where it all started, so many years ago...

"Please be careful," Hikaru said. Her husband was off to duel his long time rival- Seto, a sorcerer who was as powerful as he was evil. His good luck charm, the Millennium Puzzle was around his neck, but it gave Hikaru little comfort.

"Aren't I always?" he said lightly, giving her a kiss.

"No, why do you think I'm worried!" she cried.

"Please, love, calm down. It will be all right. Besides, I cannot lose, not with you there for me when there is so much at stake. Wait here for me, until it is over." Hikaru nodded, but what her husband didn't know was that Hikaru had every intention of watching the duel. Later, when Hikaru was certain she could sneak in without getting attention, she went running to the room where the duels were held. But she was too late. He lay motionless to one side, the Millennium Puzzle shattered on the floor.

"No..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face, "What happened?" she screamed, "What happened??" 

"Queen Hikaru," said a noblemen. "Please listen- the Pharaoh's spirit is alive inside of the Millennium Puzzle. He did this to protect the world from the return on the Shadow games- if someone puts the puzzle back together, his spirit will be infused into them."

Hikaru understood her husband's wishes, but not wanting to live without her soul mate, her best friend, she demanded something similar be made for her.

Thus, the Millennia Diamond was born. Putting it under a spell so only someone that truly needed her- someone with a past almost identical to her own- could release her, she sealed her spirit inside it, to one day be reunited with her beloved- the one person who had truly loved her for who she really was. But the truth about the spell never escaped Torina's lips...

Meanwhile, as Torina was talking, Yami was getting more and more frustrated with his lack of memories, as the story seemed so familiar. Why couldn't he remember?

Torina went quiet, biting her bottom lip as she did so. There were some things that she probably shouldn't reveal to her new friends just yet- namely the part about Hikaru's spell. If she revealed exactly how the spell worked, they'd ask about her past. If they asked about her past, they might ask about her uncle. If they asked about her uncle... they might never talk to her again. Torina had never been one to lie to people she liked- She couldn't bring herself to do it. But not telling the entire story wasn't lying.

Teá automatically noticed the tension that seemed to fill Torina. She had slowly began to bite her lip, as if she was hoping that no one would catch on- but somehow Teá did. There was something about Torina's story that didn't quite compute- how could she know so much detail... unless someone had told her. There was something Torina didn't want anyone to know, and Teá knew she had to act fast. She was about to say something, when the phone in the back of the house began to ring.

Meanwhile, on an island off the cost of Japan, Torina's uncle was sitting in his office, which looked more like a large dinning room, a glass of fruit juice on the table, along with a plate of gorgonzola cheese and his favorite comic book. He was having his men work night and day to find his missing niece. How she managed to get away from him, he didn't know- since he had lost his 'good luck charm,' his surveillance methods hadn't been the same. Therefore, Torina had slipped through his fingers and vanished without a trace. But he would find her, no matter what it took.

"Excuse me, sir." He turned around to see one of his employees, Kemo, standing by his side. "I know you don't like to be disturbed at times like this," Kemo continued, nodding his head at the comic book, cheese and juice. "But I believe I have found something that belongs to you." He produced a small box from behind his back and showed it's contents to Torina's uncle, who began to smile.

"I thank you for bringing this to my attention, Kemo," he replied. "Now, if you would, please continue searching for my niece. By the way, what happened to the boy who stole this from me?" Kemo smiled at his employer.

"I don't think he will be doing much of anything for a while, sir. Also..." Kemo handed Torina's uncle a necklace- a large gold ring with small golden spikes dangling down from it. "I believe this should be of some use to you." Torina's uncle gave a small, crooked grin.

"Yes, I believe it will."

"Moto residence," said Grandpa. "This is Solomon. He's where? Of course I'll tell them. Yes, you're welcome, goodbye," Grandpa hung up the phone, then called to Yugi. "Yugi, it seems your friend Bakura is in the hospital."

"Why?" Yugi asked worriedly. "What happened?"

"He was found in an alley a few blocks from the hospital in pretty bad condition. He's ok right now, but he wants to see you and your friends. He said it was urgent."

"Thanks, Grandpa, I'll go tell everyone." Yugi rushed out to go tell his friends.

"What's going on, Yuge?" Joey asked.

"Bakura's in the hospital." After quick explanations (made quicker by the fact that Yugi didn't know much) they headed off.

When they reached the hospital, Torina stopped at the gift shop. Inside she grabbed some candy bars for everyone and a gift for Bakura- a stuffed toy that looked like the character on his favorite card- the Change of Heart. Yugi wasn't surprised by the size of Torina's heart- she had seemed like a caring person ever since he met her. Her method of payment, on the other hand, caught him off guard. When Torina went to pay for her purchase, one that cost twenty dollars at the most, she gave the cashier a one hundred dollar bill. Yugi managed to sneak a look into her wallet- there was more than one of those in there. He shrugged it off- Bakura wanted to see them and now was a good time.

"Hi guys," Bakura said as they all went into his room.

"Are you all right, Bakura?" asked Torina as she handed him her gift. He smiled his thanks and gave a nod.

"I'm okay, thank you."

"You look horrible," Joey said bluntly.

"Thanks Joey," Bakura said wryly as Tristen elbowed him.

"Wha? It's true!" Joey defended himself.

"Joey!" Teá groaned, hitting him over the head with a book.

"I'll shut up now," he said meekly, rubbing the back of his head. Torina tried her best to hold in a chuckle- she had never before met anyone who could make her laugh like Joey Wheeler.

Yugi took advantage of Joey's silence to ask what happened. Bakura explained what had happened at Duelist Kingdom the first time around, namely Evil Bakura taking the Millennium Eye.

"Then yesterday," he said, "Kemo, Pegasus' right hand guy, found me and he thought I was Evil Bakura. He took me to a duelist arena and Evil Bakura took over again. He dueled, lost, got the eye and the ring taken from him, and I got tossed in an alley." Bakura sighed. "At least I'm finally free of him. But I called you here to tell you to watch out- Pegasus has his eye back, which means there's no telling what he'll do."

The entire time Bakura was telling his story, Torina was very quite. Tristen took it as shyness- Torina was new, she didn't know Bakura very well. But Yugi and Teá sensed something else- a strong sensation of emotional pain... and Joey- Joey felt as though someone was driving a knife right through his heart, but he didn't know why. Torina knew exactly what was going on- he was coming to get her. The fear was almost too much for her to bear and Yugi knew it. As they left Bakura to recover, Yugi had an idea.

"Hey, Torina?" Yugi said, "Wanna duel?" Torina was taken aback.

"Uh... sure! I don't have my deck on me though," she said.

"Well, when you get that, do you want to get stuff for a sleepover too?" Tea asked, "My mom won't mind." Torina looked a bit surprised, but said yes. Sleepovers were new to her, but Torina was always willing to try something new.

"I'll go home right now and get my stuff," she said. "Then I'll see ya over at your place Yugi... I've also got something that might make the duel a little more exciting! See ya in a few!" With that , she rushed off, not revealing what would make the duel more exciting.

Torina walked into her warehouse and back towards her bedroom. Once there, she grabbed her backpack from next to her deck, dumped it's contents all over the floor and proceeded to put her clothes, deck and other stuff inside. As she did that, Hikaru came out of the Millennia Diamond.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked in a rather annoyed tone of voice. Torina stopped what she was doing to look up at her.

"What are you talking about, Hikaru?"

"You obviously trust these people," came the reply. "You are going to spend the night at Tea's home and Yugi is waiting for you to return so that you may duel with him."

"Your point being?"

"Why don't you have enough trust in them to tell the truth? The truth about why I am within you and why you are living in a warehouse by yourself." Torina looked back down at her bag.

"Don't you get it, Hikaru?" she asked. "I'm afraid- I feel like I've known Yugi, Teá, Tristen and, and Joey all my life, but I haven't even known them for twenty-four hours. I'm not ready to set myself up for another desertion and my mind keeps telling me that's what's gonna happen." Hikaru put her hand on Torina's shoulder.

"Haven't I always told you not to listen to your head?" Torina nodded.

"Yes, I know- you've told me to trust in my heart and in the heart of the cards... but they haven't said a word since this whole thing started." Hikaru was about to comment, when Torina put a hand to her forehead.

"Torina?" she asked. "Are you all right?" Torina shook her head.

"I- I don't know. I feel really..." Suddenly, Torina's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed on to the floor.

"Torina!" yelled Hikaru, as she knelt at her side. No matter what she did, Hikaru couldn't get Torina to come out of whatever she had fallen into. A single tear rolled down the spirit's cheek. "He's got her."


	3. Story of the Soul Stealing Uncle

Torina was missing. She had disappeared shortly after leaving her friends at the hospital to get her things- that was over a week ago and everyone was starting to worry. They all knew that there was something Torina wasn't telling them and hoped she would speak up when she was ready. Granted, she hadn't known them very long now- it only been a week and a half since they met and Torina hadn't said a word- but her performance at the hospital hinted that there was something terribly wrong. And her disappearance was the final straw for Yugi and Teá.

"We've got to find out where she lives," said Teá, while she and Yugi were at school, eating lunch with Tristen and Joey. "If we can find her home, maybe we can find her." Yugi nodded, then began to think.

"Torina had a lot of money on hand," he replied after a moment. "I mean, when she grabbed that stuff at the hospital, she paid for it with a hundred dollar bill! And I noticed she had more than one of those in her purse."

"So what?" asked Joey. "She's got money- so does Kaiba."

"Joey's got a point," agreed Tristen.

"If she has as much money as I'm thinking," Yugi continued. "Then she and her uncle would have purchased a rather large place. All we have to do is find out if Torina's uncle bought any property and where it's at." With that said, everyone took out their cell phones and began calling real estate companies. But Teá didn't move. "Everything okay, Teá?" asked Yugi. Teá shook her head.

"Torina always seemed nervous when she talked about her uncle," she said. "You don't think..." Yugi said nothing- just handed Teá her cell phone.

"I hope you're wrong," he said. "But if Torina is really in trouble, we need to find her- fast."

Hikaru had moved Torina's body onto her bed, but try as she did, she could not reach her, nor could she take control of Torina's body in order to get help. There seemed to be some sort of block between the two of them. The only explanation was the mysterious golden door, engraved with the eye of Anubis, that had suddenly appeared- Torina's spirit had to be trapped behind it.

Her uncle had always threatened to do this to her, and Hikaru had been prepared to protect Torina... until today. Today, she had failed. Hikaru didn't know what to do- a bad feeling crept over her, one that said if she didn't revive Torina soon, she might lose her forever. But she was going to need help; her husband's help.

"Find anything, guys?" asked Teá. The group of friends had called every real estate agency in town and it seemed that no man by the name of Peg had purchased any real estate in the past year, let alone since Torina had come to town. Everyone shook their heads at Teá, except for Joey, who was still on the phone. Seconds later, he hung up the phone, shaking his head as well.

"Nothing for a Mr. Peg," he said. There was a pause, followed by a sly Joey type smile. "But a Torina Peg purchased a warehouse downtown, three days before she showed up at school. Let's hot foot it over there."

"Well, this is it," said Tristen. "Twenty-one Baker Street." He and his friends looked up at the building- all had the same thought on their mind, but only one voiced it.

"Why the heck is she livin' in a warehouse?" cried Joey. Yugi shook his head.

"Let's go inside." They opened the door and looked around. There were a bunch of cardboard boxes stacked up on top of each other, which lined a path towards the back of the warehouse.

"Torina?" called Teá. "Torina, are you here?"

"Back here!" a voice called back. It sounded like Torina, but everyone could tell that there was some sort of difference. The group of friends followed the path to the back of the warehouse and were surprised at what they found. There were two Torina's- one lying on a bed, seemingly asleep, and the other was kneeling at her side.

Hikaru wasn't quite sure what to say next. She hadn't hesitated to call out when she heard someone yell for Torina, regardless of who it might be. She didn't realize who they were until she looked at the youngest boy: he was a spitting image of her husband.

"We have to hurry," she said, finally. "If we want to save Torina we have to be quick." No one said a word. "What's wrong?"

"Who are you ?" asked Teá. Hikaru bit her lip, looking even more like Torina as she did so. How do you explain this one?

"I think I can answer that." said a voice. Suddenly, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle began to glow. Seconds later, Yami appeared- he and Hikaru just stood there, staring at each other for the longest time. Then, Yami cracked a smile. "Hikaru... my love it has been so long." Hikaru gave a relieved sigh, her fear stricken eyes became soft as she walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

"Yami," she whispered. "Yami, I..." She said nothing more- he lifted her chin and kissed her. And boy did he kiss her- Tristen looked at his watch a few times in disbelief.

"Are they ever gonna come up for air?" he asked. Joey chuckled.

"They're spirits, Tristen," he replied. "They ain't gotta come up for air." The kiss ended, but the embrace didn't. The two spirits could have stayed there forever, if the gods would allow. But both knew there would be time for this later- after they rescued Torina. Yami looked down at his wife.

"What happened to your aibou, Hikaru?" he asked. Hikaru's face fell as she looked at her "partner," Torina, and shook her head.

"After everything we did to escape him," she said. "He found her."

"Who found her?" asked Teá.

"Her uncle... the reason I am with her." Hikaru pointed at Torina. "He's imprisoned her spirit inside of her mind. I can't get through to her, no matter what I do- if she's there much longer, I know he'll do something terrible... I just don't know what." She looked Yami in the eye. "You have to help me get her back, Yami- next to you, she's all I have." Yami put a hand to Hikaru's cheek and smiled.

"Of course we'll help her, my love. But tell us, who is her uncle? We need to know who we're up against." Hikaru sighed- Torina was going to kill her for this.

"Her uncle is Maximillion Pegasus."

Torina bit her lip in frustration as she sat cross-legged, in a small room, waiting for whatever horror might come next. Although she'd never been here before, she had a pretty good idea of where she was... well, where her spirit was. Her body was back in her warehouse- locked in a sort of sleeping death. Her spirit, on the other hand, was somewhere else, trapped in the darkest part of her mind- the place where all of her past and present fears dwelled. As she thought about it, she knew she should probably make 'fears' singular; she only had one- the person who done this to her. He had threatened to put her here many times before-the one place she couldn't escape him- but this was the first time he had been able to do it.

"I know you can hear me," she yelled. "You may have me now, but you can't keep me here forever!"

A hideous laughter filled the room. Shortly after, a ghostly image appeared- a tall man, with long silvery hair, wearing a red suit. One of his eyes resembled the eye of Anubis that was engraved on the Millennium Puzzle, Millennia Diamond and the door that separated Torina from Hikaru. It glistened in the candle light as he grinned at her. The man glaring at Torina was her uncle- Maximillion Pegasus. And Torina glared right back.

"You can't keep me here forever, Uncle Max," she said again. "I won't let you."

"Why, Torina," her uncle said, in a tone of voice that was both soothing and frightening, a tone that only he could pull off. "I have no intentions of keeping you here forever- just until my obedient lackeys find where you're hiding. As long as your spirit remains trapped here, your body can't run away. Besides, if I wanted to keep you here, exactly how would you stop me?"

"I escaped my Duelist Kingdom prison, didn't I? This may be a different prison, but it is a prison just the same- I'll find a way out." Pegasus chuckled.

"My dear, you've always had a relentless spirit running through you, much to my dislike. But I've always had to admire it. Try as I know you will, there is no chance you will escape this time." The stupid grin that had once been on Pegasus' face turned into an evil smile. "I know your one big secret, Torina- and I plan to use it against you."

With that, Pegasus disappeared... taking the candles, the only source of light in the room, with him and Torina felt a panic attack coming on. She did not like the dark- when things became dark, Torina felt as if the walls were closing in on her and it became more than difficult for her to breath. Sure, the part of her trapped in the dark was just a spirit, but if the spirit stopped breathing, the rest of her just might stop as well. She closed her eyes- sleep might help to calm her down.

"Hikaru..." she whispered. "Please... help."

Everyone was silent after Hikaru made her announcement, making her wonder if Torina was right- she never told anyone about Pegasus for she feared the friends she had would leave her. Yugi finally spoke up.

"How could someone like Pegasus be related to someone like Torina?" he asked. "She's so... not like him." Hikaru gave a mental sigh of relief- maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Yugi," she said. "If Pegasus had it his way, Torina would be just like him- he's been trying to make her like that since she was five. Together, we held him off."

"Hikaru," said Joey. "You said Pegasus is the reason you're with Torina- what'd ya mean by that?" Hikaru's gave drifted over to Joey.

"When I had the Millennia Diamond made, it wasn't just so I might see my husband again. I had a spell put on it so that only someone who truly needed me."

"How would you know if they needed you?" asked Teá. "And how does Torina fit into that?"

"Teá," said Hikaru. "When I was a child, my parents died in a mysterious accident and I was sent to live with an uncle, truly the meanest man in the world. He thrived on seeing people in pain, especially his own niece. There were no limits on what he would do to someone in order to break them down. He tried to turn me into him, but I wouldn't let him- the more he tried, the more unlike him I became." There was a pause. "Teá, Torina's story is identical to my own. She received the Millennia Diamond when she was five, but I didn't appear until her parents died and she was sent to live with Pegasus. That is how I know she is the one."

"Why didn't she tell us about Pegasus?" asked Tristen. Hikaru shook her head.

"He has brought her nothing but sadness, Tristen. Before she met you and everyone here, the only true friends she had were me and a little boy she met at the Duelist Kingdom- everyone else she thought to be her friend only said they were because they thought she'd hook them up with rare cards and things. When she didn't, they just dumped her. She knew what Pegasus had done to Yugi's grandfather- she was afraid if you found out about him, you'd dump her too."

"We wouldn't do that!" cried Teá. "Torina's our friend, we wouldn't just leave her because her uncle's a jerk, no way!"

"She'll be glad to hear that, Teá," Hikaru said with a smile. "She's really fond of you." Hikaru then looked at Yami and Yugi. "The three of us will have to go after Torina. With the combined powers of the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennia Diamond, we should be able to get all of us in and out, including my aibou, safely. But while inside her mind, you will seem as dead as Torina, Yugi and it could be like that for days."

"It's a risk I am willing to take," he said before shifting his gaze to his friends. "You guys should probably get us to my house and explain things to my grandpa... considering everything that's happened, he'll believe you." After his friends nodded, Yugi looked back at Hikaru. "I'm ready." Hikaru nodded and closed her eyes. Yami did the same. The two of them began to chant. Seconds later, the disappeared and Yugi began to fall to the floor. Tristen caught him just before he hit.

"I've got Yugi," he said. "You guys grab Torina." Joey picked Torina's body up off the bed.

"I've got her, Teá- you get her bag." With that, Teá grabbed Torina's bag and they headed off to Yugi's house, not quite sure what to expect next.


	4. Memories

Yugi woke up, not remember what happened for a moment. He looked around to see Yami and Hikaru looking at him anxiously.

"I'm glad you are all right," Yami said looking relived, "We both forgot you are not used to this."

"It's all right," Yugi said, standing up.

"I should warn you, many of Torina's memories are not pleasant," Hikaru said. Yugi nodded, recalling what he knew of Pegasus.

"Then we should move fast," Yami said. They headed down the hallway. Yugi opened the first door.

"Now Torina, it's only for one night," Ariana Pegasus said soothingly.

"But Mommy..." Five year old Torina started to protest.

"Tori, how about this: if you go stay with Uncle Max tonight, I'll let you keep my Millennia Diamond," Ricardo Pegasus said.

"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed. He nodded with a smile. "Ok!" she said finally. 

"That's my girl," Ricardo said with a smile, taking the necklace off and putting it around her neck.

"Hmm... we might need to find a smaller chain for you though," Ariana said with a small chuckle. It was quite big on her. They dropped her off at Maximillion Pegasus's home, and drove off. Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the fuel injection, and on the way to the restaurant, their car blew up taking the lives of her parents.

"Torina, wake up," Pegasus said, shaking her slightly.

"Uncle Max?" she said, a bit disoriented.

"Torina, there's something I need to tell you. There was an accident with your parent's car. They didn't make it," he said. While he seemed upset enough, Torina had a strange feeling. But as her eye caught the Millennia Diamond, her heart filled with sadness and she knew her parents were truly gone. Pegasus left, and Torina buried her head in the pillow and cried.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other, not sure what to say. Finally, Yami suggested going to another door. They did so, only to see a slightly older Torina sitting on her bed, crying. Hikaru appeared from inside the Millennia Diamond, and looked at Torina. When she saw her tears, Hikaru became scared.

"Torina, what's wrong?" Hikaru asked worriedly. Ten-year-old Torina looked up at Hikaru with tear-streaked eyes.

"Uncle Max *hiccup* hit me again," she cried.

"There, there, my aibou, it will be all right," Hikaru said, setting her on her lap and rocking back and forth. Hikaru began to hum an old lullaby and Torina relaxed and fell asleep. Hikaru healed her wounds, which weren't too bad, and laid her down on the bed, tucking her in and kissing her forehead. This 'Uncle Max,' as Torina called him, was a monster- one who got his kicks from beating on a little girl.

Yami, Yugi and Hikaru left the room as quickly as they entered. The boys looked at Hikaru- a tear ran down her cheek.

"There were so many times," she said. "So many times I wished I could help her. but we both knew if he found out about me, he'd take me away." She looked towards another door. "Let's try this one." Yugi nodded and opened the door.

"Jessi, I'm sorry!" said Torina, now looking around her current age and in a private school uniform. "But I just can't get that for you! There's no way." Jessi, a blonde standing next to Torina, with an angry look on her face, shook her head.

"What kinda friend are you, Torina?" she asked, in an annoyed tone. "I mean, keh, it was me who introduced you to all the popular people and got you all the friends you have and you can't get me one simple Duel Monsters card?"

"Jessi, there are only four Blue-Eyes White Dragons in the world and all four have owners- I can't ask my uncle to have a new one made just for..." Jessi suddenly spit in Torina's face.

"You can forget having any friends in this school, Torina. And you will pay for the mistake you just made."

Hikaru dragged Yugi and Yami out of the room and slammed the door behind them. She couldn't take that memory anymore.

"This is getting us nowhere," she said. "But I can't find the Eye of Anubis door- I swear, it was just here!"

"You haven't looked down here," called a voice. It was a cruel, cold voice that echoed through the place like it was hollow. All the group could do was follow the voice, which they did. Yami, Hikaru and Yugi ran down the hall- at the end was the eye of Anubis... and another person who looked remarkably like Torina. But you could tell by the evil shadow in her eyes and the symbol on her shirt- the symbol of darkness- that it was not the real McCoy.


	5. Duel: Yugi vs Yami Torina

Yugi, Yami and Hikaru stared at the evil figure in front of them, who just glared right back at them.

"Take a picture," she said. "It'll last longer." Yugi was about to ask who she was, when Hikaru's eyes narrowed.

"I thought I had rid Torina of you for good," she said, angrily. Yami looked at her.

"Hikaru," he said. "Who is this?" Hikaru looked at her husband and shook her head.

"My love, this is Torina's "Yami"- her dark side. When the real Torina moved in with Pegasus, this evil thing began to take shape. I thought I destroyed her years ago."

"Well, you thought wrong, Hikaru," said Yami Torina. "You merely sent me to the Shadow Realm and it was for Pegasus to bring me back with his Millennium Eye. And he has promised me that if I keep my Hikari prisoner until he has possession of her body, he will allow me to be free and send his goody-goody niece to the Shadow Realm." Suddenly, a light surrounded Yugi and Yami. When it vanished, there was only one person there- they had fused back into one person.

"You may be Torina's dark side," Yugi said. "But you aren't Torina; And I didn't come all this way to leave without her."

Meanwhile, inside her dark prison, trying to sleep was hurting Torina more than it was helping her- her dreams were filled with nothing but the uncle she fought so hard to escape, the parents she missed so much... and she dreamed that Hikaru had reunited with her husband, who lived inside of Yugi Moto's Millennium Puzzle, and then told her husband, Yugi, Joey, Teá and Tristen all about her Uncle Max- she'd positively kill Hikaru if that was true. She was about ready to give up and completely break down, when she heard voices echoing through the corridors outside her chamber- voices she recognized. If they were who she thought they were, her dream wasn't just a dream. She stood up an ran towards the direction of the voices... and slammed into a wall. Judging by the cracks she found in the wall, she'd collided with the door.

"Hikaru?" she yelled. "Yugi, are you there?" Yugi and Hikaru looked past Yami Torina at the door she was guarding.

"We're here, Torina!" called Hikaru. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm okay- what's going on out there?"

"We're gonna get you out, Torina," said Yugi, "I promise!" Torina sighed- Hikaru _had_ told Yugi about her past... yet Yugi was here anyway?

Suddenly, Yami Torina began to laugh and laugh hard. Torina shuddered- the laughter sounded like a combination of her own... and her uncle's.

"Is that who I think it is?" she asked.

"It's me all right, Hikari," said Yami Torina. "Here to decide your fate. Yugi Moto- if you want you're friend back, you'll have to get through me. But if you lose... well, then you've lost your precious Hikari Torina forever. Let's duel!"

****

2000/2000 (Yami Torina/Yugi)

"Time to duel!" Yugi replied, with a nod. "I play one card, facedown in defense mode and end my turn."

"And I play the Koumori Dragon, in attack mode" Yami Torina replied. "Ending my turn."

"I play one card face down and play a monster facedown in defense," Yugi countered.

"Hmm- what's wrong Yugi-boy?" Yami Torina taunted. "Don't have anything that can stand against my dragon?"

"Well, Yami Torina," Yugi replied calmly. "You'll have to take the chance of attacking to find out, won't you?" Yami Torina's eyes narrowed.

"Let's try this then," she said. "2 cards face down." She placed two cards in her magic/trap zone. "Also Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode, and I attack the first face down monster you played!" Yugi's Ancient Elf was sent to the graveyard. "Second- Koumori dragon, attack the second face down card." The card was activated- it was Yugi's Gaia.

"What!" Yami Torina cried, in shock- how did he do that?! Yami Torina had no choice but to end her turn- Yugi on the other hand, was just starting his.

"I play Summoned Skull in attack mode, and attack your Gaia."

****

1800/2000

"Then I end my turn," Yugi said with a small smile.

Inside her prison, Torina was jumping for joy- Yugi was winning. She had been worried for a second. Sure, Yugi had beaten her uncle at the Duelist Kingdom, but so had she- with and without his eye. Suddenly, Yami Torina's voice brought her back to the current situation. She pressed her ear tighter against the door.

"Don't smile for long, Yugi," Yami Torina said angrily. "I'm not through yet."

"I am sure you're not," Yugi said, still with a smile. "And I await the challenge." Yami Torina glared at him.

"First, I activate the magic card, Dark Hole, which destroys all monsters on the field... namely, your Summoned Skull. Second, I play one monster face down, followed by the magic card "Card Destruction- that will end my turn." Yugi looked at the cards in his hand, then selected a monster to play.

"I will play Curse of Dragon in attack mode, and end my turn," Yugi said.

"Ha, dumb move Yugi," Yami Torina scoffed, "I place on monster face down and activate the Man-Eater Bug Say goodbye to your dragon, and since a flip effect isn't considered an attack, I use my bug to directly attack your life points." 

****

1800/1550

"My turn is over," she said, with a sly smirk. "And this duel soon will be. You might as well say goodbye to the Hikari you care so much about, Yugi Moto- you'll never see her again." Suddenly Torina's voice echoed around them- and boy, did it sound angry.

"Don't listen to her Yugi!" she said. "You can get me out of here, I know it! I believe in you... my friend. I do!" Yugi nodded.

"You see, Yami Torina," Yugi said, firmly. "Torina is putting all her trust in me- in her friend. With her faith, I will win." Yami Torina threw her head back and began to laugh.

"Her faith is running scared." she said, still laughing. "There's nothing but darkness in that room, Moto- Torina is a claustrophobic. She won't last long."

"I play Beaver Warrior in attack mode," Yugi said. "And attack your bug- It won't take long for me to beat you, so that won't matter." 

****

1050/1550

Yugi found himself inside his own mind, deep in thought. He made that last statement very calmly, not letting it show how much he was worried. He didn't know Torina was a claustrophobic- if there was really nothing but darkness in there, she must be going nuts. Suddenly, he felt a pair hands on his shoulder and turned around. One hand belonged to Yami- the other belonged to Torina.

"Torina?" he said, in total disbelief. "You... wha... here?" Torina giggled.

"There's tons of stuff you don't know about me, Yugi," she replied with a smile. "And once you win, I'll tell you all about it- now, go kick Evil-me's butt!" With that, Torina disappeared, and Yugi looked at Yami.

"Did you bring her here?" Yami smiled.

"I brought her to you," he replied. "But as for how she got into your head, I do not know. Either way, better do what she says." Yugi nodded and returned to the duel.

"I end my turn."

"About time," said Yami Torina. "Now, I place 2 cards face down and activate the magic card fissure- destroying your Beaver Warrior. My turn is over."

"I play one card face down as well," said Yugi. "And end my turn."

"Ha ha ha ha ha- Yugi, this duel is over!" Yami Torina taunted yet once again- Yugi started to believe it was her favorite past time, but only smiled slightly. "Now, I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, which raises my life points up to 2050! Give it up Moto- there's no way you can stop me now! I have a perfect defense and there's no way you can break it. Say goodbye now. I end my turn."

****

2050/1550

Yugi still had the slight smile. Yami Torina threw her head back in hysterical laughter.

"Just put your hand over your deck, Yugi" she said. "It's over."

"Not quite." he replied. "I also play Dian Keto- I believe you know how that card works."

****

2050/2550

Yami Torina growled and glared at him.

"I also play one monster face down in defence," he said. "And end my turn."

"It's not over yet, Moto," Yami Torina promised. He still had the smile. "But I pass for now." More Yugi smile.

"I play Change of Heart, allowing me to take control of your face down monster."

"WHAT?" Yami Torina screeched.

"What monster do you have there?" Yugi asked, ignoring her outburst.

"The Wall of Illusion," came the grudging reply.

"I use your Wall of Illusion to attack your life points directly."

"Then I activate the trap card 'Attack and Receive' I may lose 1000 points, but I also take 700 away from you."

****

1050/1850

"I end my turn," Yugi said. Yami Torina growled, but Yugi maintained his smile.

"I pass," Yami Torina said darkly. Her best card had to be coming up sometime... she hoped. If it didn't, she was doomed.

"And now," said Yugi, a triumphant grin on his face. "I attack your life points with the Dark Magician- Dark Magic Attack!"

****

0/1850

"NO!!!!!!!!!" Yami Torina fell to her knees. "How? How could you beat me?"

"Simple" said Yugi. "I used my two greatest strengths- the heart of the cards and faith from my friends." Yugi and Yami un-fused and glared at her.

"Now," said Yami. "Let us pass." Yami Torina shook her head, violently- Hikaru thought if she shook it any harder, it'd fall off.

"Never!" said the beaten dark side. "Maximillion Pegasus will give me far harsher punishment than you ever will! I can't let you pass- I won't!" Hikaru had to admit, the Yami certainly sounded like the Hikari when she said that.

"He didn't ask." Yugi shot back. "And neither am I. Now let us pass." Yami Torina kept shaking her head.

"I'll never let you pass!" Yami narrowed his eyes.

"Whether you will let us or not, is irrelevant, we are passing," he said firmly. When she refused again, Yami Yugi returned Yami Torina to the Shadow Realm, this time making sure not even Pegasus could free her this time.

Suddenly the door to Torina's prison swings open and Torina stepped out. They all ran forward. Torina looked around in shock, then took a deep breath and looked right at Yugi.

"I-I didn't think you'd come for me," she stuttered. "After hearing about Uncle Max, I.... I..." As her eyes swelled up with tears, Yugi grinned at her.

"He went after my grandpa," he said. "And I got him back. Why wouldn't I do the same for you- my friend?"

"Yugi, I..." Torina wrapped her arms around him, Hikaru and Yami. "Thank you, thank you so much!" The tears fell down Torina's cheeks as she held them close. These were friends- this is what she had been missing. Suddenly, Yami broke away.

"I hate to break up the reunion," Yami said, glancing around. "But we should get out of here- now." Something didn't feel right. Yami and Hikaru exchanged glances- they both felt it.

"Yami is right," Hikaru said tensely. "We need to go."

"What's going on?" Yugi and Torina asked at the same time. Yami and Hikaru shook their heads.

"We don't know, but something is not right."


	6. Evil Uncle and Sorceress Niece

Torina looked at her spirit companions and nodded- if something was worrying them, then there was really a problem.

"Then let's get out of here," Torina said. "Soon." The other three agreed and they hurried down the hall. The spirits got more worried- the feeling was only growing stronger. They were almost near the beginning of the hallway, their way out, when...

"Torina!" cried Yugi. Torina turned around to see the worst thing she could ever imagine, happening right before her eyes. Pegasus had Yugi- one arm snaked around his neck, the other twisting Yugi's arm behind his back. And as always, Torina's uncle had a smug grin on his face.

"Uncle Max!" she yelled, running towards him, followed by Yami and Hikaru. "Let him go!" As she advanced at her uncle, Pegasus tightened his grip on Yugi's arm and twisted it more. When Yugi let out a painful groan, Torina froze in her tracks, as did Hikaru and Yami.

"One more step, my dear," he said, menacingly. "And I'll break his arm." Torina's eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

"You wouldn't dare," she shot back, matching his tone perfectly. Nonetheless, she remained still- she wasn't about to take a chance. 

Pegasus' smile widened as he threw his head back and began to laugh- Hikaru could see who Yami Torina's role model was.

"You don't think I would?" Pegasus asked. Suddenly, a gut wrenching "crack" filled the room, followed by Yugi's pain stricken screams. "He may be just a spirit here, Torina," Pegasus continued. "But his body still feels the effects." He then threw Yugi across the room. Yugi landed at Torina's feet on his hurt arm with another agonizing groan. Torina knelt at his side and put his head in her lap.

"Yugi," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." Torina's head then shot up and looked at her uncle. "You're sick, Uncle Max. Really sick." Pegasus merely laughed some more.

"That's all a matter of opinion, Torina," he replied. "And now, I do believe I'll be taking you home now."

"Not if I can help it!" said Yami. He went for Yugi's coat pocket and pulled out the injured boy's deck. "Dark Magician!" he cried, as he pulled the card from the top of the deck. "Dark Magic Attack!" Suddenly, the Dark Magician appeared and fired his attack at Pegasus. As Pegasus was stunned by the blast, Yami picked up Yugi and Hikaru grabbed Torina's hand. The two ancient spirits began to chant and the group disappeared. When he awoke, Pegasus' grin finally turned to a frown.

"Just you wait, Torina Kay Pegasus- I _will_ have you once again."

"Hey guys, I think she's coming around!" Torina slowly opened her eyes. She seemed to be lying on a couch in someone's living room- standing around her were Tristen, Teá, Joey and Yugi's grandfather. Torina looked at Teá and smiled.

"I didn't miss the sleepover, did I?" As everyone laughed, Torina sat up. "Where's Yugi?" she asked worriedly. "Is he all right?" Grandpa shook his head.

"He hasn't woken up yet, Torina," he said. "And there seems to be something wrong with his arm..." Torina wasted no time in finding her way up to Yugi's room. Sure enough, he was lying on his bed, unconscious. And as far as she knew, his arm wasn't supposed to bend that way. Teá came into the room.

"Yugi's grandpa is about to call an ambulance," she said. Torina shook her head.

"Tell him it's not necessary," came her reply. "I can fix this." Torina closed her eyes and placed her hands over Yugi's injured arm. Suddenly, a bright blue light filled the room. Seconds later, it disappeared. Teá couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her- Yugi was wide awake. Not only was he wide awake, but the arm that once looked mutilated was perfectly healed. As Joey, Tristen, and Grandpa rushed into the room, wondering about the yellow light, Yugi looked at Torina, confused as could be.

"Torina," he said, calmly. "What just happened?" Torina gave a sigh of relief, followed by a soft smile.

"It was a simple healing spell Hikaru taught me," she replied. "I'm just glad it worked."

"A healing spell?!" cried Joey. "Does that mean you're a, a magician or something?" Torina looked at Joey.

"I prefer the term "sorceress," but yes, Joey. That's what I am." Yugi smiled.

"Thank you, Torina," he said. "With a broken arm, I would have been out of dueling for weeks!" Torina's smile brightened as she looked back at Yugi.

"Just replaying the favor."

Yugi was about to reply, when he heard a bell ringing downstairs. He was about to get up, when Torina put a hand on his chest.

"You're not ready to get up yet, my friend," she said. "I'm sure your grandfather can handle whoever's downstairs."

"I agree, Yugi," said Grandpa. "You give yourself a few minutes to regain your strength and join us in a moment." With that, Grandpa walked out of the room, gesturing with his head for Teá, Tristen and Joey to follow- something told him that his grandson wanted to talk to his new friend, alone. There was a minute of silence after Torina and Yugi were left alone, but only a minute.

"You never really explained why you came after me," Torina said. "I remember what you told me back there, but I... I..." Yugi could understand where Torina was coming from- she didn't understand friendship, the reason why someone would risk their life for another. He looked at Torina and shook his head.

"It's something I really can't explain Tori," Yugi said. "Friendship is something you have to define on your own..." Yugi suddenly wished he hadn't called her "Tori." Her eyes became sad and she looked as though she was going to cry again. "Torina, I'm really sorry- I know that was your dad's nickname for you and I..." Torina put up her hand.

"No," she said. "It's just been so long since I heard someone call me that name. Uncle Max always called me "Torina" and he always sounded so evil... Please, call me Tori- I want you too. Ready to go down stairs?" Yugi smiled and gave a nod.

"You bet, Tori! Lets go!" 


	7. Love and Pain

"What do you mean you don't have it in stock?" asked a very angry Seto Kaiba. He had come to the Moto family card shop to purchase some Duel Monsters booster packs for his brother, Mokuba, who was at his side, and was rather annoyed that the shop didn't have the exact packs he was looking for.

"I'm sorry, Kaiba," said Grandpa. "But the Labyrinth of Nightmares packs haven't come in yet- I'm not expecting them until next week!" Kaiba was about to say something, when a voice floated in from upstairs.

"What's going on in here?" asked Yugi. He stepped into the room a second later, followed by Tori... who stopped in the doorway and stared at Mokuba, who was staring back at her. Both looked completely surprised to see the other.

"What are you staring at?" Kaiba demanded. Tori ignored him and kept staring at his younger brother.

"Mokuba?" she asked. He nodded.

"Torina?" She nodded back, as a single tear cascaded down her cheek. There was a pause, then Mokuba suddenly rushed over to the girl and wrapped his arms around her.

"I thought you were dead!" they exclaimed together. 

"He wouldn't tell me what happened to you!" Tori continued. "All he would say was "that's none of your concern." I thought you were gone forever!"

"Seto never mentioned you after we got home," replied Mokuba, traces of crying in his voice. "You said your uncle would kill you if he found out, and I thought he really did!" Tori held Mokuba tighter.

"It's all right, Mokuba- I'm here."

As the two of them maintained their embrace, their company just looked at them in awe... except for Joey. He remembered something Hikaru had told he and his friends about the Duelist Kingdom. His head began to nod as he started to grin.

"Torina," he said. "This is your friend from the Duelist Kingdom, ain't it?" Tori nodded and tried to let go of Mokuba, but the young boy refused to release her from his grip.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mokuba," she said, reassuringly. "Promise." Mokuba let go of her and she looked over at Joey. "I met Mokuba shortly after my uncle had him brought to the castle..."

"Wait a second," said Kaiba. "Mokuba, who is this and what the heck is she talking about?" Mokuba looked at his big brother and smiled.

"Seto, this is Torina- her uncle is Pegasus." As soon as Mokuba said that, Kaiba began to glare at Torina, who glared right back.

"Don't look at me like that!" she said, angrily. "You think I'm proud of who my uncle is? You couldn't be any further from the truth if you tried!" Her gaze went soft as it shifted over to Mokuba. "This is the big brother you were telling me about?" Mokuba nodded. "You're sure?" Another nod. Tori sighed and looked back at Kaiba. "If anything you should be thanking me, not glaring at me."

"Keh," Kaiba said. "Why should I thank you?" Joey suddenly felt his blood temperature begin to rise, although he didn't know why- Kaiba was getting into it with Torina, not him. Torina's eyes narrowed.

"My uncle may have been cocky enough to use his own name as a password," she said. "But, I am sorry to say, he's not that stupid." 

Kaiba couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pegasus had used his own name as the password- how else had he been able to break into the Industrial Illusions mainframe? As he was pondering over what he had just heard, Tori continued her story.

"I saw Kemo bring Mokuba to the castle that day," she said. "Even after all I had been through with my uncle, I couldn't believe Uncle Max would stoop this low. The castle is filled with secret passages, but choosing the right one was the hard part..." As his friend told the tale, memories of the Duelist Kingdom played in Mokuba's mind, starting with the day he met Torina.

He didn't know what to do- locked in a tower of the Duelist Kingdom palace, Mokuba was scared. He knew he had to get out of the palace and find Yugi Moto- he was the one person that could make his brother lose his company... but how to get to him was a completely different story. Suddenly, a large stone in his wall began to move, causing Mokuba to jump up and back away. Seconds later, the stone stopped moving and a girl's head popped out from behind it.

"Oh good," she said. "I hoped I'd picked the right passage." She looked at Mokuba and smiled. "Hi! I'm Torina Pegasus- who are you?"

"Mokuba," he said. "Mokuba Kaiba." Torina nodded.

"I thought so. I heard Uncle Max talking about your brother, but I never thought he'd bring you here." Torina noticed the look of hate on Mokuba's face when she mentioned her uncle's name, causing her to smile, slightly. "I know what you mean- I'm a prime example of the "you can't pick your relatives" mantra- que cera, cera." That got a laugh out of the younger Kaiba, which made Torina feel much better. It had been a long time since she had heard laughter fill these dismal hallways. "So what are you doing here, Mokuba?" she asked. "I've heard rumors, but why don't you tell me what's really going on." Mokuba waisted no time in telling Torina the story- his older brother, Seto- whom he described as the greatest guy in the world- had left home after losing a Duel Monsters battle to Yugi Moto, another name Torina had been hearing recently around the castle.

"Pegasus is trying to take over my brother's company," Mokuba said. "If he can beat Yugi Moto in a duel, the head honchos of KaibaCorp will let Pegasus take over! But only a Kaiba family member can control the business, so they brought me here- they're trying to control me like I'm some sort of puppet!" Torina bit her lip for a moment, then smiled.

"Wait here, Mokuba," she said. "I've got an idea." She slipped back behind the wall and returned moments later with a hat, bandanna and a two or three bed sheets. "All right, Mokuba," she said as she handed him the items. "If you aren't here, my uncle can't control your brother's company. Just use the bed sheets to get out the window and get to the docks. Tell them you've lost all your Star Chips and they'll get you out of here. This should help too- use it to find that brother of yours." Her hand went to her pocket and she pulled out one more thing- a small wallet. She handed it to Mokuba, who looked inside- there was over a thousand dollars inside. Mokuba, unsure of what to say, wrapped his arms around her. Torina was taken aback for a moment, rather surprised by the hug. After a second, she put her arms around him as well.

"Thank you, Torina!" he said. "How can I ever thank you for this?" Torina began to chuckle.

"You can pray for me," she said. "My uncle's gonna kill me when this hits the fan."

"Why don't you come with me, then?" Mokuba asked. "Your uncle's a creep, so why do you stay?"

"Mokuba, it's going to be hard enough for you to do this alone. My uncle is going to have men looking for you as it is- if I come with you, there'll be even more. I have to stay here this time, but I promise, we'll see each other again..."

"Right about here is where you come in, Seto," Torina said, shaking Mokuba from his memories. "Not more than an hour after I left Mokuba, I was on my computer in my room, when I discovered something rather interesting- someone was trying to hack into the Industrial Illusions mainframe. When I did a scan and discovered it was you, I went to see what your were trying to access- a duel between Yugi Moto and one Seto Kaiba. There wasn't a very realistic way for you to be two places at once, so I came to the conclusion that the dueling Kaiba was an imposter."

"Where does the password come in?" asked Kaiba. Tori's smile widened.

"I knew what the password was, thanks to some eavesdropping on my part, so I could get into places other people couldn't. I knew you would have a lot better hardware where every you were, compared to my laptop anyway, so I changed to password from what is was to what I figured you would think it was."

"How would you know what I thought?" asked Kaiba.

"My uncle has a file on everyone- I looked through yours after I heard him talking about you to Kemo. You have an... um..."

"Well?"

"You have a way of seeing the worst in people- from what I read about you, I could tell that you would think my uncle is so sure of himself, that he would use him own name as the password- in reality, he used mine." There was a pause. "After I changed the password, I tried my hardest to keep other people from discovering you- set up blocks and stuff like that. But one of Uncle Max's employees walked in on me..." She brushed her bangs back to show a scar on her forehead. "As you can see, that didn't go over well with my uncle."

Kaiba chose that time to tell Mokuba it was time to go- Yugi figured it was because he needed time to process this new information. Mokuba and Tori said their goodbyes, both promising to see the other soon. After they left, Yugi looked at Tori- more specifically the scar on her forehead.

"Tori, how did he do that?" asked Yugi, taking note of everyone's eyebrows raising at the name 'Tori-' he guessed they expected Torina to tell him off over calling her that. But she didn't; she just shook her head.

"They tell me I walked into a door," she replied. "Though, I remember it quite differently."

"What happened?" asked Tea. Tori looked over at her friend, no expression on her face.

"Well, there was a door involved but I didn't walk into it- my uncle backhanded me, I spun around and slammed into it. Let me tell you, the guy's a heck of a lot stronger than he looks." There was a slight pause- then Joey spoke up.

"Tori," he said slowly- he wasn't sure how to ask this. Ever since Tori started telling her story, he felt... he didn't know what he felt or why he felt it, but something inside of him did not want to hurt her. "If Pegasus was like that, then why..." The feeling became stronger, so strong, Joey didn't dare continue.

Tori loved the way Joey said her name, with his heavy Brooklyn accent in full swing- where most people would pronounce her first name "Tah-rina," he always said it like it was spelled: "Torina." And now, as he called her by her nickname, he emphasized the 'O' even more. She really loved the sound of his voice. She looked at him and gave a soft smile.

"You want to know why I stayed, Joey?" she asked. Joey nodded, though regretfully. Even with her smile trying to cover it up, he saw a great deal of sadness in her eyes when she asked that. And it did more than tug at his heart strings- it nearly ripped them out. "I guess I stayed for my dad, Joey," she continued. "Before he died, he had asked me to stay a night with my uncle while he and my mom went out to dinner. I didn't want to, but he made me a deal." She put her hand to the Millennia Diamond. "He told me if I stayed with my uncle, he'd let me have this- his Millennia Diamond. So, to keep my promise to him, I stayed with my uncle... until a voice inside me asked to think about what Dad would want more- me to keep my promise, or me to be happy."

A tear began to run down Tori's cheek, causing Joey to do something completely on impulse- he went over and wrapped his arms around her. Tori returned his embrace and began to cry into Joey's shoulder as he smoothed down her hair.

"S'all right, Tori-girl," he said. "He ain't gonna hurtcha any more." As Yugi watched them, he had to hold back a smile- he knew what was happening, even if Tori and Joey didn't.

"What are you smiling at Yugi?" Yami asked telepathically. "Forgive me, but I don't really see the joy in this."

"Just a feeling I have, Yami," replied Yugi. "We'll have to wait and see what comes of it."

"I'm sorry," Tori whispered. Her head was still buried in Joey's shoulder as she said that and Joey was still holding her close. "I just miss them so much and living with my uncle did nothing to help that- he just made it worst."

Joey knew how she felt- his parents might not have died, but when they got divorced he had been separated from his beloved little sister, Serenity. She meant the world to Joey and he was crushed when she left. He had battled in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament for Serenity- she was losing her sight and needed an operation, one that was too expensive for Joey's parents to afford. He entered the tournament to win the money, and though he didn't come in first, he was still able to do what he went to the Tournament to do.

Tori had never felt so safe in her entire life. Sure, Hikaru had been able to protect her from her uncle's mind control powers, but no one could save her from his beatings. But as she stood there in Joey Wheeler's arms, she felt like there was no one in the world but them. But she knew all good things have to end sometime- she let go of Joey, looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Thanks Joey."


	8. Joey and the Contest

"I don't know how I got myself into this," said Joey. "I mean, what did I do to deserve this?" Tori began to chuckle, a sly smile curling her lips. She and Joey were sitting at their normal lunch table, waiting for the rest of their friends and discussing they mornings events.

"I can tell you exactly how you got yourself into this, Joseph Wheeler," she replied. "You had a power struggle with Seto Kaiba, so when he challenged you, there wasn't any way you'd back down." Joey couldn't believe it- Torina had known him for less than a month, yet she had him perfectly profiled. He was about to comment, when another voice joined the conversation.

"Back down from what?" asked Teá. Joey and Torina looked up to see her, Tristen and Yugi standing over them, lunch trays in hand. Torina looked at Joey and flashed a sly grin.

"You want to tell them, or should I?" Before Joey could reply, Torina started to tell the whole story. "Last period in History, we had just gotten done taking notes and had the last five minutes free. Joey and I were talking about duel monsters, when Kaiba comes over and starts in on Joey- something about a Dueling Monkey." As she said that, steam started rolling out of Joey's ears. "I'm guessing by the way everyone was watching that this happens often... that and the fact Kaiba made a 'what are you gonna do this time?' comment."

"So what did Joey do this time?" asked Tristen. Torina's smile widened.

"You know the big dance competition next month?" Everyone nodded. "Well, Mr. Wheeler entered himself in the partner's bracket." Everyone started to laugh... until they saw Joey wasn't smiling.

"Oh no," said Yugi. "You're kidding, right Tori? This is a joke, isn't it?" Tori shook her head.

"Nope, sorry- I wish it was, but no." Joey looked back down at the table as his friends shook their heads.

"So, what are you going to do, Joey?" asked Tristen. "You weren't exactly blessed with the gift of dance, you know."

"I could learn!" Joey said, defensively.

"In six weeks?!" Joey sighed and looked over at Teá, who instantly began to shake her head.

"Forget it, Joseph Wheeler!" she cried. "I don't have the patience to teach you anything! I refuse." There was a pause before she added, "Besides, I'm entered in the singles competition and I won't have time to practice mine and teach you. Anyway, you'll need a partner and I can't participate in two events." Joey was about to hang his head in defeat, in realization that he had once again screwed up, when Tori put a hand on his shoulder.

"I can teach you, Joey," she said. Everyone turned to her in surprise.

"You dance?" asked Yugi. Tori nodded.

"Yeah, I love it! But the only way I could get Uncle Max to let me take lessons was to convince him I hated it- he wouldn't let me do anything that he thought I'd enjoy." She then became serious. "Joey, if you really want to do this, and show Kaiba you can do it, I'll be more than happy to teach you- but I have to warn you, it's not gonna happen over night and it's gonna take a lot of heart." Joey looked at her and shook his head.

"I appreciate the thought, Tori," he said. "But what's the point of learning a dance if I don't have a partner?"

Suddenly, Tori began to laugh and as she did so, Joey found himself smiling- he didn't know why of course, but figured it was her laugh: he loved the sound of it.

"What's so funny, Tori?" asked Teá. Tori continued to chuckle as she brushed her bangs out of her face, revealing the scar given to her by Pegasus during the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Yugi noticed that she didn't do it on purpose- usually she tried to keep her forehead covered, because of the scar. Now, it was like she had forgotten it was there.

"Joey," she said, shaking Yugi from his thoughts. "I wouldn't go through the hassle of teaching you everything and then leave you without a partner! I'll be your partner." Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Tori stood up and grabbed her tray. "I'll see you at my place at four, Joey. And you..." She indicated Yugi, Tristen and Teá. "Show up if you can."

"Why do they gotta come?!" cried Joey. "They ain't learnin' nothin'!" Tori's soft smile turned into a sly smirk.

"You'll find out, Joey." As Tori headed off to her next class, Teá smiled, having a pretty good idea of what her friend had in mind.

"I can't come tonight," she said. "But you boys have fun." Yugi and Tristen looked at each other.

"Yuge," said Tristen. "I'm scared." Yugi nodded.

"Me too."

A few hours later, Yugi, Tristen and Joey found themselves outside of Tori's warehouse. Music was coming from inside and it mixed with the cool March air- it sounded like a Latin/country song, one Joey thought he had heard before.

"Shall we go in?" asked Tristen. His companions nodded and he pushed open the door.

The inside of the warehouse had changed since the boys had last been there: the cardboard boxes that had once lined the way to Tori's bedroom were replaced by actual walls, painted a light blue. In the doorway was a wooden pole coat rack, with Tori's jacket- a black leather one, with a picture of some sort of fairy on the back- hanging on one of the hooks, her blue Nike sneakers at the base and a small table. On the table was a note, which Joey picked up and began to read.

"Hey guys," he read. "I'm out in back, working on stuff for the contest. I just had the place remodeled, so I'm including a map- please don't get lost and wipe your feet! Tori."

So the guys went in- after wiping their feet, of course. Tristen grabbed the map and studied it.

"Ok," he said, pointing at a spot on the end of the map. "So we're here... and we need to get here..." He poked at a spot on the other end.

"Sounds simple enough," Yugi said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Joey asked.

"This way," Tristen said, pointing to the room to their left. They went in one room and out another.

"Did this place seem this big the last time we were here?" Yugi asked at some point. The other two shrugged. 

"It should be right in... here?" Tristen said. They were back where they started. All three sweat dropped.

/Yami!/ Yugi said.

//What's wrong?// asked Yami.

/We got lost./ Yami chuckled through the link and came out.

"Follow me," he said, still chuckling. Five minutes later, they were in the back room. Tori was in there, wearing her customary "Hikari" symbol t-shirt and black slacks, but added dancing shoes and a sweat band to her attire. She looked at the boys and smiled.

"What took you guys?" she asked.

"The great navigator here lead us in a big circle," Joey said. Tristen's eyes flared up as he clenched his fists and advanced towards Joey

"Why you-" Yugi rolled his eyes.

"Guys? I don't think Torina invited us over for you two to argue," he said. They stopped, looked at Yugi, then at each other and nodded.

"Sorry," they said immediately. Tori just laughed. She had to- Yugi and Tristen were gonna kill her when they found out why she brought them there. 

Before she could say a word, Hikaru appeared from inside of the Millennia Diamond and rushed over to Yami. Tori could tell that Yami and Hikaru's love was a true one- the two of them were all over each other when they got together. As the Yami's "greeted" each other, Tori got down to business.

"All right guys," she said. "This is the first of many long and tiring practices- Yugi's grandpa told me about when he taught you to play Duel Monsters, Joey. This is gonna be something like that." Joey gave a nod, cueing Torina to look over at Yugi and Tristen. "And as for you guys... well, I'm gonna need you two to demonstrate the steps for me." Yugi and Tristen gave her a blank stare.

"You mean we dance with you?" asked Tristen. Tori shook her head.

"No- you dance with Yugi."

The Yami's laughed at the boys' reactions, then went back to talking.

"Yami," said Hikaru. "There's been something bothering me. How did you remember me so quickly? It's taken me ages to remember what I have!" Yami stopped to think about this a moment.

"Well," he replied. "When I saw you kneeling next to Torina, I suddenly remembered something. It was, I believe a few days before my duel with Seto..."

They were out in the market place (under disguise of course) when an out of control chariot driver came hurtling down the street, directly at a girl trying to get to a booth. Hikaru, being closer to the action, pushed the girl out of the way, leaving herself in the chariot's path. Suddenly, Yami pushed her out of the way, then rolled to safety himself. Hikaru knelt next to the girl.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The girl, obviously frightened, looked at Hikaru and nodded.

"F-Fine," she said. "Just shaken- thank you" Then, she ran off.

"Well, my love," Yami said, a smile curling his lips as he helped his wife off the ground. "So much for a quiet day out, eh?" Hikaru smiled and gave her beloved husband a kiss. 

"I can never say my life is boring," she replied with a laugh. She didn't know what she would have done if she hadn't found him- probably still be living with her uncle... but that didn't matter now. Nothing mattered except her husband and the life they had together.

Torina kept a straight face as long as she could, but found herself unable to control it any longer. She burst out laughing and almost fell to the floor.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried. "I wish I had a camera! The look on your guys' faces was absolutely priceless!" Joey noticed that she had tears streaming down her face as she laughed. "You guys didn't honestly think I'd do that, did you?" she continued. "I'm not my uncle you know!"

"Then why are we here?" asked Yugi. Tori looked over at him, wiping her eyes as she did so.

"A dance competition is a lot like a Duel Monsters tournament, Yugi- you need to trust in the heart of the music and in yourself... it also helps to have some friends around to encourage you."

"So you brought us here to support Joey?" asked Tristen. "Nothing else?" Torina's smile widened.

"Well, and to get drinks and help the pizza delivery boy find his way back here."

As Yami and Hikaru watched the dance lesson with amused smiles, much to Joey's annoyance, they talked.

"Funny..." said Hikaru.

"What is, my dear?" asked Yami. She shook her head.

"Well, I had thought our Hikari's would have gotten together, but it would seem that Torina and Joey are becoming quite close."

"Yes it does," Yami replied, with a shake of his head. "Yugi doesn't seem to mind, though. In fact, I swear he's been encouraging it." Hikaru looked at him, a smile forming on her lips.

"I seem to recall" she said. "A certain Pharaoh liking to set people up."

"I recall a certain Queen helping," Yami said smiling back. Neither seemed to notice Yugi watching, and smiling as well- while he had seen Yami happy before, it was never quite like this. He was glad.

****

Two Weeks Later...

"Okay Joey," said Tori. "First of all, I'm teaching you- I need to lead. And second of all..." She looked down at her feet for a second, then back at him. "Remind me to wear steal toed boots during our next lesson." Joey smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his hair as he did so.

"Sorry, Tori," he said. "I didn't mean to." Tori sighed, shook her head and smiled back. There was no way she could stay mad at Joey, even if she wanted to.

"All right, Wheeler- let's try this again. Tristen, get ready to restart the music." Tristen nodded as he put his finger on the play button of Tori's CD player.

"Ready when you are, Torina," he said and waited for Joey and Torina to get into position. Tori stepped in front of Joey and crossed her arms in front of her, her left hand on her right shoulder, her right hand at her left side. Joey took her left hand in his right, and her right hand is his left. Both took a deep breath.

"Okay, Tristen," they said.

****

The Big Night...

"Tori, I'm not sure if I can do this..." Joey looked more than a little nervous as he watched Kaiba and his partner tear up the dance floor, also known as the school gym. He was choking on the bow tie he was wearing with his black tuxedo. Tori, dressed in a navy blue dress with black flowers printed on it, put her hand on his shoulder. When he looked at her, she was giving him a soothing grin.

"It'll be all right, Joey," she said, softly. "Just remember the steps, the fact that you lead now, take deep breaths... and don't step on my feet!" Joey began to laugh as a voice came over the loud speaker.

"Next up, Joey Wheeler and Torina Peg." The pair looked at each other. This was it- the big night.

"I can't wait to see how they do!" Teá said, excitedly. "I haven't seen what Tori's come up with yet- I bet it's gonna be great!" Yugi and Tristen looked at Teá and smiled.

"Tori's got a pretty interesting style, Teá," said Tristen.

"Yeah," agreed Yugi. "Your gonna love it... here they come!" Joey and Tea came onto the floor and got into their starting stance. As the music filled the room, Tori and Joey moved to the left- maintaining their stance as they did so- with light, quick steps. Every few steps, Joey would let go of one of Tori's hands, allowing her to spin out to either the right or left side, then returning her to her original stance. As words began to join the music, Joey spun Torina around to face him. Their hands still together, they brought them up in front of their faces, then slowly spread them out to the sides.

The pair stood still for a second, gazing into each others eyes, before Joey released Tori's left hand and, with his right hand above her head, twirled her around. Right after the last spin, Joey put his right hand behind Tori's back, dipped her down and slowly brought her back up. Then, Joey put his hands on Tori's waist, as Tori put hers on his shoulders. He then lifted her into the air and spun around twice, before setting Tori back on the ground- they were now standing next to each other, with Tori to Joey's right, the hands that weren't locked together were out stretched to the sides. As the song sped up, so did they- Joey rolled Tori into him, then they switched hands and Tori spun out to his left, and back in once more.

__

Maybe it was the moonlight 

The scent of you on the breeze 

Maybe it was your shadow that fell over me 

Such a beautiful stranger 

Eyes darker than coal 

Your first look crossed the desert 

Into my soul 

Mi corazón perdido en ti 

My heart is lost to you 

You have captured my love completely 

My heart is lost to you 

Oh my heart is lost to you 

As Joey and Torina continued their dance, Hikaru and Yami watched from a hidden part of the gym- up in the rafters.

"I don't think either of them know," Hikaru whispered suddenly. Yami looked at his wife, eyebrows raised.

"What do you mean, Hikaru?" he asked. Hikaru looked at him and smiled.

"Yami, those two look like they've been together since they were born... but I doubt either knows how they feel about each other, let alone how the other feels for them." Her smile widened. "Joey and Torina are perfect for one another- they both can be completely clueless at times." She was silent for a moment, causing her husband to worry.

"Hikaru? Is everything all right?" Hikaru looked at Yami and smiled.

"My love, I think I have figured out why Tori and Yugi are not in love, even though we are." Yami gave her a confused look, causing her smile to widen. "Do you remember Juno, Yami?" Yami's confusion remained for a moment, but then he began to smile.

"Ah, Juno," he said. "Yes, that was my best friend... looked a lot like Joey, if my memory serves me well." Hikaru nodded.

"He was like... well, like a brother to me, remember?" He introduced me to you, much like Yugi introduced Torina to Joey."

"I remember, but what are you getting at?"

"The roles have been reversed, Yami- Joey is the love of my aibou's life, while Yugi will someday become the brother figure she needs." Yami's smile widened as he began to nod.

"That is a job Yugi shall not only be good at, but will also be proud to do. We just have to wait for that day to come."

As the spirits talked above him, Joey felt the strange feeling he'd been having return, but stronger than ever. He didn't know what was going on, but as he looked into Torina's eyes, his heart began to flutter. This girl was something else.

__

Maybe it was the music 

The way it moved with your hair 

Or the heat of the moment 

That hung in the air 

But when I saw you there dancing 

Mesmerized by the gaze 

There was some kind of magic 

That led me away 

Mi corazón perdido en ti 

My heart is lost to you 

You have captured my love completely 

My heart is lost to you 

Oh my heart is lost to you

The dance ended with Tori and Joey holding hands and taking a bow. They instantly looked for their friends in the crowd- all of them were applauding like there was no tomorrow. Tori looked over at Joey and smiled.

"Nice dance, Wheeler." Tori and Joey turned around to see Kaiba and his partner standing behind them. "But," he continued. "We'll just have to see what the judges say." Just then, one of the judges, the school principal, tapped on the microphone.

"All right, kids- lets quiet down," he said. "Time to announce the winners of the dance competition." The crowd began to cheer; Yami and Hikaru grabbed each others hands and held them tight; Torina closed her eyes. "And the winners are..." The principal opened the envelope. "Joey Wheeler and Torina Peg!"

Tori's eyes shot open and she looked over at Joey, a huge smile on her face.

"We did it, Joey," she said, happily. "We really did it!" Joey smiled back at her- now it was Tori's turn to her have her heart flutter, and boy was it ever.

"Did you ever have a doubt?"

"You guys were great!" cried Teá, after Joey and Tori collected their prizes- a small trophy with a dance on top for each of them and a gift certificate to a restaurant. "You really showed Kaiba!" Tori smiled and nodded.

"Yeah... Teá, I've got my stuff. Are you ready?" The boys looked at them, completely confused.

"Ready for what?" asked Tristen.

"Teá and I are finally gonna have that sleepover," said Tori. "So, I'm heading over to her house." Before departing with Teá, Torina walked over to Joey and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Joey- I had a great time." And she left, leaving Joey and co in complete awe.


	9. Nightmare

"All right, Tori." Teá said. "Truth or dare?"

"Hmm... truth," Torina replied. The two girls had been playing Truth or Dare since they arrived at Teá's house about two hours before- both were having a blast.

"Ok then..." Tea thought for a moment. "Oh, I can't think of anymore good questions... Uh... Who do you like?" Tori bit her lip for a moment.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Torina asked. Teá crossed her heart.

"Promise." Tori hesitated a bit, but then spilled her guts.

"Joey." Teá's eyes widened- Tori was sure she was gonna get laughed at.

"Really?" said Teá. Tori nodded. "Cool! You and Joey are so much alike, it's a perfect match!" There was a pause. "Torina, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Torina shook her head.

"No, I don't mind," she replied. "Go ahead." It was Teá's turn for lip biting.

"Did Pegasus always treat you like that?" she asked hesitantly. Torina's eyes got a far off look as she replied as she remembered a time, so long ago.

"No," she said. "Actually, we were pretty close before Aunt Cecelia died, which was not long before my own parents passed away. But before that, he was always really nice- he always came back with presents for me when he went on trips. He was never the same after she died, and it just got worse after he got the Eye... I loved him very much back then... a part of me still does." There was silence for a moment, and Teá thought it best to change the subject.

"Want to watch the movies now?" she asked. 

"Yeah," Torina replied, excitedly. "Which ones did you get?"

"Dracula, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," said Teá "And, well the last one isn't a movie really. My dad has a lot of episodes of the A-Team taped, and he thought we might want to watch them."

"Cool!" Torina grinned. "Let the movie/rerun fest begin!" Two bowls of popcorn, several cans of pop, two movies, and five tapes of the A-Team later, both girls were asleep.

Tori found herself standing outside her warehouse, in the pouring rain. She was confused- scared a bit, but mostly confused.

"What the devil?" she thought. "I was at Teá's... why am I here?" Suddenly, the house burst into flames, knocking Torina off her feet. She watched in horror as her warehouse, her new home, became engulfed in flames, her eyes widening. "NO!"

"Tori!" cried Teá. "Tori, wake up!" Teá had awoken after hearing Torina's cries, only to find her friend covered in a cold sweat, crying. "Torina, come on!"

Torina shot up off the bed, a look of complete fear expressed on her face. She looked at Teá, who became scared as well- Tori's eyes had a hollow look to them and it was creeping her out. Torina jumped up off the bed and started to put her shoes on.

"What are you doing?" asked Teá. "Torina, it's three o'clock in the morning- what's going on?" Torina looked back at her friend and shook her head.

"Something's wrong," she said. "I have to go find out what it is." Without another word, Torina rushed out the door and towards her house. As Teá watched her from the window, she began to shake her head.

"That's it, I'm calling Yugi!"

"She what?" Yugi cried into the phone. He had been completely out of it moments ago, but when he got Teá's call, he awakened instantly.

"She's on her way to her place," Teá said urgently. "I don't know what to do, Yugi- it could be real trouble! She was in such a hurry, she left the Millennia Diamond here!" When he heard that, Yugi became more worried.

"Get a hold of Tristen and Joey. I'm going to Torina's now!" Yugi hung up the phone, changed quickly, grabbed the puzzle, and ran out the door. As se sprinted down the street, Yami appeared at his side and ran along his side.

"What's going on, aibou?" he asked. "Where are we going?" Yugi shook his head.

"Torina had some weird dream at Teá's house," he explained. "And now she's headed home in some sort of panic." Yami nodded.

"Let's hurry then."

Torina couldn't believe what she was seeing- the warehouse, her home, was engulfed in flames. There was a crowd gathered around the building, watching in awe... instead of getting help.

"Someone call 911!" Tori yelled, just before heading inside- there was one object still in there she could not let get burned. Dodging debris and flames, she reached her room and pulled something out of a trunk near her desk- a magician's staff her uncle had given her when she was little- back in the days when he loved her... She sighed when she saw it-thankfully, it was unharmed. Unfortunately, while she wasn't paying attention, a large piece of ceiling fell, hitting her hard on the back of her head. Tori collapsed on the floor , the staff still in her hand.

"TORINA!" Yugi yelled, panic evident as he reached the warehouse. The crowd was still there, buzzing about the young girl who had run in, but hadn't come out. He ran in, reaching the back in record time. Carefully, he pulled her out from beneath the ceiling pieces and grabbed the staff. They were almost out when the fire engines pulled up, followed by an ambulance.

"Yugi!" The boy looked up to see Joey, Tristen and Teá running towards them, as panicked as he was.

"Help me!" cried Yugi. Joey wasted no time in helping Yugi pull Torina out of the flames. "Let's get her into the ambulance."

****

Three Days Later...

The cause of the fire had been declared as arson, probably some street kids who thought the place was deserted. Yugi didn't think so, though- something told him that Tori's "loving uncle" was somehow behind it. Unfortunately for him, but luckily for Torina, she hadn't been home when the place was torched... or was that the real plan?

Torina was still out of it- the bump on the head along with the smoke she breathed in made sure of that. Yugi was considered a hero for getting her out alive, but insisted he only did what any friend would do in that situation. Joey, on the other hand, was grief stricken. He was worried as could be about Torina and refused to leave her side.

"Tori?" he said one day, after they had been left alone. "Tori-girl, can you hear me? Aw, man- what I'd give to hear your voice right now." There was a pause. "Tori, I never knew how to say this, but I... gosh, Tori I've been in love with you since the day we met. I love your smile, your laugh... I love you." He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Tori, when I got the call from Teá and saw Yugi pulling you out of the warehouse... I'd never been so scared in my entire life. I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you." He held her hand tighter. "And I don't care how long it takes- I'm gonna wait right here, by your side, for you to wake up."

"Well, you won't have to wait much longer," she replied groggily. Joey looked at her, total disbelief expressed on his face. Tori, on the other hand, was just smiling

"How long have you been awake?" he asked, a slight stutter in his voice.

"Long enough," Tori replied. "Do you really feel that way, Joey?" He nodded.

"Tori-girl, everything I said was true... but if you don't feel the same... I'll understand." Tori shook her head, then grabbed Joey's shirt collar and pulled him close.

"Wheeler," she said. "Shut up and kiss me." Joey smiled and leaned in closer.

"Yes, ma'am." And he kissed her- and as he kissed her, Tori felt as though her heart skipped a beat... forget a beat, she thought it had stopped. This was love- this was what she had been missing.

"It's a Kodak moment." Tori and Joey stopped their kiss to see Teá, Tristen and Yugi standing in the doorway. Teá's face was a bright shade of red.

"It's nice to see you up and about," she said to her friend. "Although, I didn't quite expect this!" Tori smiled at her friend.

"Well, you were the first one I told." There was a pause. "Oh my gosh, my staff! Is it all right?"

"It's fine, Tori," said Yugi. "It's at my place, along with your Millennia Diamond."

"The Diamond... oh, Hikaru must be worried sick... you guys must have been worried sick, I'm so sorry. But what happened?" Tori's friends wasted no time in telling her what had happened. When she heard that Yugi had pulled her out of the fire, she shook her head. "That's twice now you've saved my life, Yugi. Will I ever be able to return the favor?"

"With all due respect, Torina," he replied with a smile. "I hope not." Tori giggled, then looked back at Joey.

"Now, where were we?" Joey put up a hand.

"One question, Tori-girl," he said. "The staff- what is so important about it that you would risk your life to save it." Tori gave a half hearted smile.

"My uncle gave it to me, Joey," she said after a moment. "I know you wouldn't think I'd want something he gave me... but as I told Teá, he wasn't always the he is. He gave me the staff back when he used to love me... and now- it's the only reminder I have of those times." 

Tori smiled as she thought of the day Pegasus gave her the neon green staff. It resembled the one belonging to the Dark Magician, except for the difference in color, and being that she was only four-years-old at the time, it was twice her size.

"Well, Torina," he had said. "I do believe you'll grow into it. Who knows, maybe someday you'll pull off your own Dark Magic Attack." Torina's eyes shone brightly as she held the staff as best she could.

"You really think so, Uncle Max?" Her uncle scooped her up in his arms and gave her a tight hug.

"I know so."

Tori looked at her friends and smiled. She was beginning to define friendship for herself- it meant no matter what, you have people who are always there for you. She looked at her friends and smiled.

"So when do I go home?" There was a pause. "Furthermore- where's that?"


	10. Duel: Tori vs Naomi

"You fool!" Pegasus shouted. "I told you to scare my niece, not damn near kill her!" Croquet, another of Pegasus' employees, cringed in fear. His employer never used profanity, assuring Croquet that Pegasus was more than a little angry.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "But she wasn't inside the warehouse when I set it on fire- she ran in after it was lit." That comment merely enraged Pegasus further.

"Do you think I don't know that?" he asked, angrily. "Now that I have my Millennium Eye again, Torina can't do a single thing without my knowing. On the other hand, I allow you to do something on your own and you almost ruin everything!"

"I'm sorry, Master Pegasus- it won't happen again." There was a short pause. "Sir, might I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," replied Pegasus, before thinking "Not that I don't all ready know what it is."

"If you know what Torina is doing, you basically know where she is- why don't you go get her?" Pegasus began to chuckle.

"Ah, Croquet," he said with a shake of his head. "I do know where my niece is right at this moment in time- in Domino City Hospital, complaining about the medicine she has to take for smoke inhalation. And while I could go get her and bring her right home, I do believe it's more fun to leave her wondering what I'm going to do to her next."

" Forget it, Joey, I'm not taking it. You can't make me." Tori looked Joey dead in the eye, her arms crossed in front of her chest. The medicine he was trying to get her to take tasted horrible- two month old gym socks probably tasted better than this stuff. But Joey wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"Tori-girl," he said. "If you don't take this stuff, the smoke you breathed in is going to make you sick, and quiet possibly kill you. And if you die, what do you think that's gonna do to me?" Tori couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed the cup and it's contents disappeared faster than a Big Mac at a Weight Watchers convention. She made a face and looked like she was about to throw up. She grabbed a glass of water and downed that as well. She looked at Joey, an inquisitive look on her face.

"What would you do if I died?" she asked. Joey smiled, leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Koi," he said. "If I ever lost you, I would be forced to wander aimlessly around Domino until someone found me and put me in a hospital. And while I was there, every night the tenants would be forced to hear me calling out your name." Tori looked him in the eye and gave a soft smile. Koi, one of the Japanese words for love- hearing him say that made Tori believe what he said even more. She put her hand on his shoulder and pulled him close.

"I would never do that to you, Joey Wheeler- I love you too much." She was about to give him a kiss, when someone in the doorway cleared their throat. Yugi and Yami were standing there, sly smiles on both faces. Yugi also had something in his hand- Tori's Millennia Diamond.

"Hikaru's been going crazy," he said. "And it was just a little too much for Yami and I to handle." As he said that, Hikaru appeared from inside the Diamond and rushed to Torina's side. 

"Torina, I've been worried sick!" she cried. She wrapped her arms around her aibou and held her tight. Torina patted Hikaru on the back.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru..."

"I mean, really! If you must insist on trying to get yourself killed, at least take me a long for the ride!"

"I'm sorry, Hikaru," Torina replied, again. "I didn't have time to think..." Hikaru was still rambling, not paying attention to her Hikari's apology.

"You and Yami mean the world to me, Torina!" she continued. "If I ever lost either of you, I wouldn't be able to take it! Don't you ever do anything like that to me again, please!" Hikaru tightened her grip, causing Torina to gasp for air.

"All right, Hikaru," she said to the best of her ability. "But if you'd like me to say "I'm sorry" again, you're gonna have to let me breathe!" Hikaru looked at Torina- the girl was beginning to turn purple, causing Hikaru to let go. Torina took a deep breath, then looked at her aibou and smiled. "I promise, then next time I think about doing anything remotely dangerous, I'll be sure to have the Diamond around my neck." There was a pause, until Yugi cleared his throat and walked further into the room, followed by Yami.

"Tori," he said. "Have you given any thought to where you're going to stay?" Tori hadn't thought about it at all and everyone could tell by the look on her face. Yugi grinned. "I take that as a no?" Torina gave a nod.

"Yeah," she said. "But don't worry about it, Yuge- I'll be all right. I'll hop into a hotel or something."

"You most certainly will not!" Everyone looked towards the doorway to see Yugi's grandpa standing there. "There is no way that I, as a responsible adult, can allow you to continue living on your own."

Grandpa's comment scared Torina more than anything. What did he mean by that? Was he going to have her put in foster care? Or worse- would he call her uncle? No, there was no way he'd do that- he saw her the day she told everyone about what her uncle did. No one was heartless enough to send someone back to that. Suddenly, Grandpa began to smile.

"No," he said. "I can't let you live alone, but there is something I can let you do- I can let you move in with Yugi and I." Tori's jaw dropped, with an amazed smile curling the sides.

"Really?" she asked. "I-I can move in with you guys?" Grandpa nodded, still smiling like it was going out of style.

"Of course- I don't plan on taking 'no' for an answer."

Tori was out of the hospital a week later- the doctors wanted to make sure the burns she received from the falling debris were healing okay.

"If they only knew what one of my spells could do," Tori had told Joey as they walked out of the hospital, hand in hand, with Tori sporting her custom made jacket: it was a black leather jacket she had purchased- with her own money, of course- during a trip to Mexico with her uncle, with a picture of the "Wingweaver," her favorite Duel Monster on the back- one of her most prized possessions that she happened to leave at Teá's house during the fire. "But since this entire thing's all over town," she continued. "I can't heal them without people asking questions... oh well. It won't kill me to heal normally." Joey laughed as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Nah," he said. "Nothing can kill my girl- not when I'm around!" Tori laughed as well and she squeezed his hand. The two of them were heading over to Yugi's house, where she would be staying- Yugi and Grandpa wouldn't take no for an answer... not that she refused or protested. Something about living with the Moto's just seemed right. She sighed, happily; today couldn't get any better... but it could get worse.

"Pegasus! Torina Pegasus!"

Tori froze in her tracks when she heard that- she hadn't been called that since her private school/Duelist Kingdom days... and that voice was so familiar. Tori turned around... and found herself face to face with an old "friend:" a first class witch. She had her hands on her hips as she glared at Torina, a smirk on her face.

"I knew it was you, Pegasus!" she said. "And am I glad I found you- we have a score to settle." Joey looked at Torina.

"Who's she, Tori?" he asked. Tori glared at the girl.

"Naomi Ross," she replied. "She was one of the popular girls who wanted me to hook her up with rare cards. When I wouldn't she said she'd duel me for them... I mopped the field with her monsters."

"I've gotten better monsters since then, Torina," Naomi said with a scowl. "And your not gonna have it so easy this time." Tori started to take off her back pack- she had left it at Teá's the night her place burned and Teá brought it to Tori in the hospital, which was lucky; a valuable tool was inside. Tori opened the bag and pulled out two circular things... circular things that Joey recognized.

"Tori," he said. "Those are... they can't be! Can they?" Tori looked at him and nodded.

"KaibaCorp Duel Disks," she replied. "Seto Kaiba left them at the Duelist Kingdom after his match with my uncle... I haven't really gotten around to giving them back." As Tori tossed one of the disks to Naomi, Joey began to shake his head.

"Tori, you can't do this! I've seen what these Duel Disks can do- they can hurt people real bad. You just got out of the hospital, Tori-girl..." Torina put a hand to his cheek and gave him a kiss.

"I'll be okay Joey. Promise." She looked over at Naomi- she had loaded her deck into the disk and was ready to go.

//Do you want some help, Torina?// asked Hikaru.

/Nah, I think I've got her, but I'll let ya know./

//All right- be careful, aibou.// Tori flashed an evil grin.

****

2000/2000 (Tori/Naomi)

"Well, Naomi," she said. "I'd say "Ladies first," but I'd hate to insult my best friend. So I'll just say your move." Joey stifled a giggle- Teá would have been proud to hear that. Naomi glared.

"I play one monster," she said. "Face down in defense mode and end my turn." Torina grinned.

"I play the Feral Imp in attack mode," she replied. "And I attack your face down card." Naomi growled and put her Celtic Guardian in the Graveyard. But that began her turn.

"Now I play Witty Phantom, and attack your Feral Imp!" 

****

1900/2000

"And that," said Naomi. "Will end my turn." Tori bit her lip.

"Hmm..." she said. "I play Lady of Faith and equip her with Malevolent Nuzzler, raising her attack points to 1800, which is strong enough to destroy your Witty Phantom."

****

1900/1600

Naomi sneered as she put her Witty Phantom in the Graveyard. She played one card face down in defensive mode and ended her turn.

"Now," Tori continued. "I'll activate my facedown card- Skull Red Bird, and attack your face down card." It was Ansatsu. Naomi was not pleased as she sent her third card to the graveyard and hadn't made much of a dent on Torina. She drew her next card and smiled.

"Perfect." she said. "Just the card I need. I play the magic card Yami. Now I play monster face down plus these two cards face down to end my turn."

"I play one card face down, and I play the Dark Magician in attack mode," Torina said, "And attack your face down card." Naomi put her Silver Fang in the graveyard, and drew a card.

"I play one card face down in defense mode, and end my turn."

"Oh come on, Naomi!" Tori said, rather annoyed. "Are you just gonna defend your deck away?" Without waiting for an answer, Tori began her turn. "I active the magic card Turtle Oath. I offer Red Skill Bird from the field, and Masked Sorcerer from my hand to summon Crab Turtle." Naomi smiled.

"I play Invitation to a Dark Sleep in defensive mode," she said. "It's effect lets me choose one of your monsters and make it unable to attack. I choose your Crab Turtle. I also play one card facedown, and end my turn."

"I attack your Dark Sleep with my Dark Magician then!" Tori said. Torina ended her turn, and Naomi drew a card.

"I play Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode, and I'll equip it with Malevolent Nuzzler. Now, I'll attack your Crab Turtle," Naomi said.

"I activate Waboku to defend my life points," Torina said immediately. Naomi sneered, then winked and smiled at Joey.

"Not on your life, chick," Joey said coldly, and turned back to Torina, who was grinning at him.

"Ok, now you've done it." she said. "I wasn't gonna do this, but you've really pissed me off. I play Toon World!"

"TOON WORLD?" Joey sputtered. "Where'd ya get that, Tori?" As Torina turned her Dark Magician horizontal, she looked at Joey and smiled.

"Uncle Max and Aunt Cecilia gave the set to me," she said. "Back when the game was just a prototype." Tori them focused her attention to Naomi. "Once I put my Dark Magician back into attack, he'll have undergone a change... but until then... I lay one cared face down, and play Manga Ryu-Ran and attack your Neo the Magic Swordsman."

"It's attack strength is 600 points less then my Neo," Naomi hissed. "Can't you add?" Torina grinned, then held up a magic card.

"Not when I active my Malevolent Nuzzler," she shot back.

****

1900/1500

Naomi put her Swordsman in the graveyard, and Torina ended her turn.

"I play one card face down, and end my turn," Naomi said. Torina smiled.

"All right," she said, happily. "Let's do this! Arise, Toon Dark Magician!" She turned it to attack mode. It looked much like the normal Dark Magician, but he was toon-ish and smiling more.

"Now there's somethin' you don't see every day..." Joey muttered. "The Dark Magician smiling."

"Now, My Dark Toon Magician," Tori continued. "Stand down, and go Toon Summoned Skull! Attack her face down card!" Naomi put her Mystical Elf in the graveyard, and Torina ended her turn.

"I play one card face down in def mode, and end my turn," Naomi said.

"Ah," said Torina. "I have the things needed for a fusion..." She put down a Polymerization. Then she put Tainted Wisdom in the graveyard from her hand, along with Ancient Brain, and played Skull Knight.

"SKULL KNIGHT?!" Joey sputtered.

"Now I attack your face down card," Torina said. Naomi put her Swordstalker in the graveyard. "Now, Toon Dark Magician, attack her life points directly!"

****

1900/0

"No!!" Naomi cried. She had lost.

Tori recalled her Duel Disk, removed her deck and started to walk over to Naomi, who was sitting on the ground.

"Okay, Naomi," she said. "I've beat you twice now- can we just leave it alone and bury the hatchet all ready?" Naomi scowled as she took off her Duel Disk and chucked it at Torina, who snatched it out of the air. She then did something rather unexpected- she held out her hand to Naomi. When Naomi slapped it away, Tori managed to grab hold of her hand and pull Naomi to her feet. Naomi gave her a suspicious look.

"Why ya bein' nice to me, Pegasus?" she asked. "What do you want?" Torina's eyes suddenly narrowed- Joey was sure that he saw a wild fire blazing in them.

"Naomi," she said. "You can call me Torina, you can call me Tori, you can call me Tor... you can call me "Wingweaver" for all I care. But if you ever call me Pegasus again, the next battle we have won't be in Duel Monsters." Tori's eyes softened a bit, but not much. "As for my being nice to you- I've seen enough cruelty to last me a million lifetimes... I try not to add to it unless I have too."

With that, she walked away, Joey on her heels. Tori walked away as fast as she could, leaving Joey in the dust and not paying attention to his cries for her to wait up. He had seen so many of her tears in the past- she didn't want him to see anymore. Especially not these.

Inside the Millennia Diamond, Hikaru felt the wetness of Tori's tear upon her own cheek. Something had to be seriously wrong.

//Hikari!// she thought. //Torina, what is wrong?// Torina shook her head violently, as if doing so would help her block out the sounds of Joey's worried voice.

//It's happening,// she replied, out loud so everyone could hear. //I'm finally turning into him!// Joey finally managed to catch Tori just as she said that.

"Turned into him?" he asked. "Tori, what are you talkin' about?" Tori turned around and looked at him.

"I'm turning into my uncle, Joey," she replied. "You saw what I almost did back there- I could have really hurt her if I wanted to, just for callin' me 'Pegasus.' That's something my uncle would have done in a heartbeat." Tori was about to run away again when Joey pulled her close and kissed her. A moment later, Joey let go. "What was that for?"

"Tori-Girl," he said. "If you were turning into your uncle, I wouldn't love you as much as I do. And right now, I love you more than you will ever know." He smiled. "And even if you somehow do turn into your uncle, that will never change." Another tear sped down Torina's cheek. Unconditional love was something she wasn't quite used to... but she was really starting to like it.

"Oh Joey," she said. "You make it so hard for me to hate myself." She smiled. "Thank you for that."


	11. Field Trip

"Well, Tori, here we are," Yugi said happily as he pushed open the door to the attic of his house. "You're new room." Torina looked around the room in complete awe.

"This isn't a room!" she exclaimed. "It's a whole blasted apartment!" She was right- as you entered the attic there was one large room with a door way to the right, leading to a full bathroom and to the left was a hallway, leading to a back bedroom. Yugi's smiled faded.

"Grandpa used to rent it out a long time ago," he told her. "But we haven't done that in years... we thought you'd like it." Tori turned to face Yugi- where he had expected disappointment, he saw a bright smile.

"Like it? Yugi, I love it!" She started looking around excitedly. "This place is intense!" she continued. "Planned carefully, I could use the Duel Disks up here, no problem... do you think that Grandpa would let me redecorate?" Yugi's smile returned as he nodded. Grandpa had told Torina to call him by that name earlier today and he was pleased the she was taking to it so quickly. It was nice to see her happy. 

Suddenly, she rushed over to Yugi and wrapped him in a loving embrace, one that took the poor boy by complete surprise.

"Yugi, this is so great!" she said. "For the first time in about eleven years, I'm gonna have a real family! A grandpa and a brother who actually love me! This is just so great!" Yugi's smile widened as he returned her embrace- it was nice to see her happy.

"All right, Teá," Tori said happily. "You ready for this one?" Tori was standing outside Teá's house, under her bedroom window. It was about a month after Tori's house had burned to the ground, but her friend had just taken ill a week ago. Not wanting Teá to be bored out of her mind for too long, Torina had decided to use her magic to cheer up her ailing friend, who was watching excitedly, along with Joey, Tristen and Yugi.

"Go for it, Tori!" she called from up in her room. Her mom wouldn't let her friends come up and see her, for fear they would catch her cold, but she never said a word about something like this. Torina smiled.

"Okay," she said, rolling up here sleeves. "Nothing up either one of my sleeves, correct? Well, except this- my assistant." She revealed a Shining Friendship card to all her friends. "Now, with the magic words: Shining Friendship, with powers so true- allow me to reveal Teá's gift to you!" Suddenly, the card disappeared and Tori pulled a bouquet of pink roses out of nowhere. As everyone began to clap, she held up a hand. "That's not all." Just as suddenly as the flowers appeared, Tori began to rise into the air. She let out a little giggle, flew up to Teá's window and handed her the flowers. Then, she rose even further into the air, laughing all the way

"That is amazing!" cried Yugi from below. "How does she do it?" Tori was about to answer him when she suddenly put her head in to her hands and let out a groan. Seconds later, she began to fall.

"Tori!" yelled Joey as he rushed to get underneath her. He barely managed to reach her before she hit the ground and he was surprised to find that she was unconscious.

"Is she all right, Joey?" Teá called, worriedly. She'd hate herself if Tori was hurt because of her. Joey was about to say he didn't know, when Tori started to come around.

"Tori, are you all right?" he asked. "A fall like that and you could have been killed." Torina didn't reply at first- she seemed to be concentrating very hard on something. Suddenly, she gave up and shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It wasn't my fault... it would seem that he has taken my powers. Funny- I had thought that he didn't know of them." She didn't have to voice who she was speaking of. They all knew she was talking about Pegasus.

"He didn't know about your powers?" asked Tristen. Torina shook her head.

"I didn't think so, but when I was falling, I saw him in my mind. He was smiling and asked "How long can you survive without your magic?" She looked at her friends and grinned. "I guess we will find out."

Pegasus was beside himself. He didn't know Torina was so high in the air at the time- he had only wanted to scare her, not kill her. If Joey hadn't caught her... if he'd have known...

"Snap out of it!" he thought. "Even if you would have known, you would have done the same, regardless of the consequences.... still, it's a good thing Joey caught her."

The next day, Torina stood on a bridge and looked out over the water. As far as school field trips go, this one was pretty lame- middle of April, really cold (not quite freezing, but a bit colder than sweatshirt weather- not that that stopped everyone from leaving their coats on the bus) and they were checking out some farm where they grew tulips and daffodils... if Teá hadn't still been at home sick that day, she might actually be enjoying herself. Joey and the guys were there, but they were engaged in a snowball fight with each other: one-on-one-on-one. So, Tori was alone, looking out onto the water. Although the river was beautiful as it glistened in the sunlight, the water was rushing out of control and was most likely right around it's freezing point. Tori would hate to take a dip in that.

"Hey, hot stuff!" Torina felt an arm on her shoulder and turned to see a boy standing behind her. Considering that she had never seen him before, he must have been from some other school. He was a mildly attractive kid: Jet black hair slicked back with a little too much moose, hazel colored eyes peering through a pair of orange sunglasses and attire resembling that of a gang member- leather jacket with different symbols on it, black jeans, gloves with the fingers cut out... and he was looking at Tori like she was a piece of meat. "The name's Mick," he continued. "How about you and me blow this joint and I'll show you a real good time." Torina gave him a soft, but annoyed smile as she removed his hand from her shoulder.

"Thanks, Mick," she replied. "But no thanks." She turned and was about to walk away when Mick firmly grasped her shoulder and forced her to face him again.

"What's the matter, bitch?" he asked, angrily. "I ain't good enough for you or what?" Tori felt her blood begin to boil as she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. He began to chuckle as his reflexes kicked in and he slapped her back. He then grasped her arms firmly and stared at her, menacingly. "Nice hit, bitch- this is gonna be fun." Tori tried not to show him the fear she had inside- his type of 'fun' was something she didn't want any part of.

"Hey, let her go!" Tori's head jerked to the side when she heard Joey's voice and she saw him, Yugi and Tristen running towards them, with Joey looking hot enough to boil water from the river below in less than a second. "You heard me, punk!" Joey continued. "Let her go, now!" Mick shrugged his shoulders and shoved Tori to the side, causing her to land on her back. As Yugi rushed over to help her up, and Tristen attempted to hold Joey back, Mick began to chuckle.

"No wonder you didn't want me, bitch," he said. "You all ready seem to be playing the field."

"Why you little..." Tristen instantly let go of Joey- his eyes were narrowed as far as they could go without closing, noting that he was extremely ticked off... and Tristen didn't want to get hit on accident.

The scuffle broke out on the bridge- Mick throwing everything he had at Joey, Joey dodging his every move and landing a few of his own. How dare this punk insult Torina- **_his_** Torina- like that! Joey was giving it everything he had and it was shown through the bruises he was leaving on the Mick.   
As the two of them fought it out, and Tristen went to find a cop, teacher or whatever, Yugi helped Tori to her feet.

"Are you okay, Tori?" he asked, worriedly. "That was a pretty rough push he gave you." Tori looked at her friend, smiled and gestured to the backpack she was wearing.

"This took most of the fall for me," she said. "And people said taking it off the bus was a dumb idea." She then turned her attention to the fight. "Mop the blasted floor with him, Joey!" Joey looked at her and smiled.

"No problem, Tori-girl!" 

After a while, Joey debated on whether to throw one more punch, even with the request from his girlfriend- granted, this kid deserved everything he got, but something told him one more would be a mistake. He threw it anyway, but not without consequences. He hit the boy as hard as he could and sent him flying towards the low railing of the bridge. But instead of hitting the rail, the boy slammed into Yugi, knocking him over. Yugi cried out for help, but was silenced when he hit his head on the side of the bridge, knocking him out.

"Yugi!" cried Tori. Joey could hear Tori's frightened cries as Yugi fell towards the water, followed by a splash... wait- two splashes. Joey suddenly looked around... where was Torina? Joey rushed towards the rail and looked over- Tori had dived into the water after Yugi. 

"Tori!" Joey yelled, but it seemed that she didn't hear him- she was too busy swimming downstream after Yugi's unconscious body, which was somehow staying above water. Joey spun around, grabbed Mick by the collar and pulled him to his feet. "I swear to God," he said. "If anything happens to either of those two, the cops are gonna have to do one hell of a job keeping you safe from me." Mick stared at him- much like Tori had done with him, Mick was trying to hide the fear he had inside.

"You wouldn't dare," he scoffed. Joey began to smile one of his sly Joey-type smiles.

"That was my best friend and my girlfriend that went in the water and they are two of the people who mean more to me than anything in the world. So don't you tell me that I wouldn't dare."

With the current rushing as fast as it was, it took everything Tori had just to finally reach Yugi and get him to river's edge. It seemed to have gotten colder since she dived into the water- the air on her wet clothes were the culprit- and she was freezing, but she knew that Yugi must have been much colder. He was in the water longer than she was, meaning he had more time for the water soak his body. Tori bit her lip- if she didn't get him out of the water, dried off and warmed up soon, he could catch hypothermia or worse... he could die. Tori finally pulled Yugi out of the water and looked around. She soon spotted a cave and used what was left of her strength to take Yugi in her arms and walked towards the cave.

"Don't worry, Yugi." she said. "It's gonna be all right- I promise."

Mick had been taken into custody for harassment and despite his attempts to land Joey in a cell right next door, saying that Joey had threatened him and hit him for no reason, he went there alone. Too many witnesses had heard what he said to Torina and saw what he did- all stated that Joey had done what he did in order to stand up for her.

"Why wouldn't he?" one witness said. "He loves that girl more than anything." As statements were being taken, Joey and Tristen were describing their missing friends to rescue teams assembled to help find them.

"Yugi's about five foot nothin'," said Tristen. "He has reddish-purple hair with blonde bangs..." He gestured towards the clothes he was wearing. "He was wearing one of these uniforms and had a large triangular shaped necklace on a metal link chain." One of the police men, Sergeant Ken Timmons, nodded as he took down the notes.

"All right then," he said. "What about the girl?" Tristen was about to reply, when Joey spoke up.

"She's got fiery red hair," he said. "It sticks out to the sides and looks kinda crazy. Her eyes are really dark brown and are framed by her silver eyeglasses. She was wearing a light blue sweatshirt, with aqua colored sleeves, black denim pants and a sash matching the shirtsleeves tied around her waist." 

There was a pause. Tristen thought Joey might say something along the lines of "And when she walks, all the wind blows and the angel's sing," a line from his and Tori's favorite song, next. But Joey just shook his head.

"We've gotta find her," he said. "We've gotta find both of them."

Tori was exhausted as she carried Yugi into the cave, but she had no time to relax. She could feel her friend shivering uncontrollably in her arms- as was she, but she didn't take the time to notice. All she knew was that she had to get Yugi warmed up and do it quickly. She wasted no time in slipping off her backpack, Yugi still in her arms, and opening it up. From inside she pulled out her Wingweaver jacket and a blanket, the latter she had placed in there because of a strange feeling she had that morning. Both were dry as a bone.

"I knew there was a good reason for getting a waterproof backpack," she mumbled as she used one hand to spread the blanket out on the ground and laid Yugi down on the top. She then took off his wet shirt and wrapped him in her Wingweaver jacket, zipping it up to his chin, which seemed to be turning blue. Tori bit her lip. This would help Yugi get the color back into his face, but she was afraid that it wouldn't be quite enough.

Then, she had an idea- she shook off all the extra water she could off of her backpack and propped it against a large rock she found in the cave. Then, she picked up Yugi and the blanket, put the blanket up against the rock, set Yugi in front of the blanket and wrapped it around him. 

"This could work," she thought as she took off his wet shoes and socks and tucked his feet into the blanket. "But there's more I can do." She looked at Yugi, who was still completely out of it- the combination of his head trauma and the cold was keeping him that way. She didn't want to leave him alone, but in order to save his life she had no choice.

"I'll be back, Yuge," she said aloud. "Just sit tight." With that, she walked out of the cave and into the cold. She barely noticed the wind against her still soaked clothes that rested against her skin. Yugi was in trouble and that was all she cared about now- he had saved her life twice before and she was going to repay him for that if it killed her.


	12. End of the Line?

Back with the police, Joey and Tristen had been joined by Yugi's grandfather, who came to the farm as soon as he heard what happened.

"The situation looks bleak, Mr. Moto," said Timmons. "There is no telling how long your grandson or Torina was in the water and judging by its temperature, neither could have stayed in for long. But even if she managed to get the two of them out, they wouldn't be able to last long in this cold with soaked clothes." Grandpa looked at the sergeant and shook his head.

"My grandson saved Torina's life," Grandpa said. "And not only does she feel as though she owes him for that, but there seems to be a sort of... family bond between the two of them, almost a sibling bond. So, as long as she feels he might be in trouble, he is the safest person on earth- she won't let anything happen to him." Timmons gave a weak smile, but nodded.

"I hope you're right, sir. But either way, it'd be better if we found them and did it soon."

"Then let's get going!" said Joey. "Me and Tristen'll start looking on the sides of the river- anythin' to get them back." 

"I'll go with you, Joey," said Grandpa. Timmons nodded.

"Good idea, but each of you take on of these." He handed each boy a walkie-talkie. "Radio us if... when you find them, and we'll get there as fast as we can." Joey and Tristen nodded and started off, each taking a different side of the river.

"I'm comin' Tori-girl," Joey thought. "You just hang on."

Torina had been outside finding as much wood as she could so she could start a fire, tying the pieces together with her sash. Thanks to the bad feeling she had this morning, matches were another thing she had thrown into her backpack, along with some notebook paper to get a fire started. If worst came to worst, she could always burn her Duel Monsters deck- Yugi's life, her brother's life, was more than worth that. But, she had managed to find a small fallen tree. It wasn't much, but it was a start- even the smallest fire would help Yugi get warm. She grabbed the tree, a few more pieces of wood and headed back to the cave.

Hikaru was worried beyond all possible belief. She knew Tori had put on the Millennia Diamond before leaving for school this morning, but she couldn't contact her aibou, nor could she leave the Millennia Diamond- why couldn't she reach Torina? She remembered that her Hikari was with Yami and Yugi... maybe she could get through to one of them. She doubted it, though. Her bond with Yami was a strong one, but so was her bond with Torina- unless there was something wrong with the girl... There was only one way to find out. Hikaru closed her eyes and started to teleport into Yugi's mind.

"Yami? Yami, where are you?" Hikaru searched desperately around the corridors of Yugi's mind, trying to find her husband. Suddenly, she felt something land on her shoulder, causing her to jump and spin around- Yami was standing behind her, a sly smile on his face. "I hate it when you do that!" she exclaimed. Yami began to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, love," he replied. "What's the trouble? Can you not reach your Hikari either?" Hikaru shook her head.

"No, I can't and I'm really worried about her- I mean the last time she and I couldn't communicate, I almost lost her for good..." Yami took his wife into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry, love- we'll get to her. I promise."

The fire had finally been started and Tori was drying off Yugi's clothes. Her own had just about frozen to her body, but she was so numb that she didn't really notice... well, she did notice that it stung a bit when she started to warm up, but that was about it. Yugi was still unconscious, and it was worrying Tori out of her mind. He could have a concussion, or worse...

"Oh my God!" Tori hastily dropped Yugi's clothes away from the fire and ran over to check his pulse. Suddenly, before she could do anything, Yugi began to stir, causing Torina to gasp. A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked around until his eyes rested upon her.

"Tori?" he asked, kind of groggily. "Tori, where are we?" She let out a sigh as a soft smile covered her face.

"You're all right!" That was it; her exhaustion mixed in with her relief was just a little more than Torina could take- she collapsed right at Yugi's feet, much to the young boy's surprise.

"Tori!" He put his hand to her neck- she still had a pulse, but she was ice cold. He then got a good look at what he was wearing- her Wingweaver jacket, no socks or shoes, and wrapped in a blanket. What was going on?

//Yami! Yami, help!// Yami heard the request and instantly entered the outside world, without even a word of explanation to Hikaru. When he came through the link, Yami saw Yugi taking off the jacket and trying to put it on something.

"Aibou!" he exclaimed. "What's going on? Where have you been- I've been trying to..." That when he noticed who Yugi was trying to put the jacket on: Torina. Her complexion was colored blue and her only sign of life was her constant shivering. "What happened?" Yugi shook his head.

"I-I don't know," Yugi replied. "I woke up a few minutes ago and she was kneeling in front of me. I asked her where we were and then she muttered something about me being all right... and she collapsed."

That's when everything came back to him: Joey had been fighting with that Mick kid and accidentally knocked Mick into him. He had fallen off the bridge, most likely into the water. He felt Torina's sweatshirt- it was mostly frozen, but parts of it were still damp. He shook his head; Tori must have dived in after him. Not only had she pulled him out of the water, but she made sure he was warm, rather than taking care of herself. Yami looked confused.

"Yugi?" he asked. "What is it?" Yugi looked at his aibou, then told him all he had remembered along with his theory on why she had fainted.

"She risked her life for me, Yami," he said. "She could freeze to death right here and if she does... it'll be my fault." Yami put his hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"Don't think like that, Yugi," he told him. "Torina is strong- almost stronger than anyone I've ever known. She will pull through this." Yugi was about to reply, when he heard voices calling him from outside the cave.

"Yugi! Torina! Guys, where are you?" Seconds later, the second voice called out.

"Yugi! Answer me, please!" Yugi would know those voices anywhere.

"Joey!" he yelled, as he slipped on his jacket. "Grandpa, we're in here!" Joey and Grandpa rushed into the cave as Yugi was putting on his socks and shoes. The first thing Joey noticed was Torina's body lying on the ground. He took a deep breath.

"What happened?" he asked, calmly as possible. Yugi explained everything to Joey as quickly as possible- every second they wasted could mean seconds off of Torina's life.

"We've got to get her to a hospital!" said Grandpa. Joey nodded his agreement and lifted Tori off the ground. They all took note of how she snuggled in close to him- it was as if she knew who was holding her in their arms. That just made Joey hold her tighter.

At the hospital, Tori was put into the ICU, hooked up to a respirator and was kept as warm as possible. The doctors couldn't believe Torina was back in their care, let alone how it happened.

"Who does this girl think she is?" asked one nurse. "Wonder Woman?" That comment made Yugi more than just a little angry.

"Listen!" he said. "This, this girl as you choose to call her, has more heart than you'll ever have! She dived in the water after me, with no thought to herself! She could have at least used her jacket to keep warm, but she gave it to me." He looked through the window at Tori- he had never seen her look so... helpless. "She may die right here," he continued. "And you're complaining about the courage she has!" The nurse was taken aback- she hadn't anticipated her remark striking such a cord in the young boy. She didn't mean anything by it- only that the girl seemed careless... but if she did what she did for the reasons this boy said, then it wasn't carelessness. It was something more than that.

"I am sorry," she said. That was it- with that she turned and walked away. Yugi felt bad for blowing up at the nurse like that, but not bad enough to apologize. He looked at his companions and his grandfather.

"Who's going to tell Teá?" Everyone had forgotten about Teá- as Torina's best friend, she'd be the hardest person to tell... even harder than Joey. They all looked at each other, then at Yugi. "All right," he said. "I'll tell her." He was about to head towards the phones when he saw someone rushing towards him. "Teá?!" Sure enough, Teá was running towards them, dressed in a pair of blue pajama pants and a red sweatshirt.

"Teá," cried Joey. "What are you doing here?" Teá skidded to a stop in front of her friends.

"One of the teachers called me," she said. "And told me Tori was here- what's wrong with her? Why didn't you guys call me?"

"I was about to, Teá," said Yugi. He then told her about the incident on the field trip. Teá was disgusted.

"How could someone try that on Tori?" she asked, tears of anger falling down her face. "She's... she's just a.... a kid! If you really look inside of her, she's just a kid!"

The tears were flowing freely now as Teá kept muttering "she's just a kid" over and over again. And as she said that... Joey realized she was right. Tori acted as though she was a confidant young woman, but on the inside she was really a kid; fun-loving, cunning, highly sensitive... and he loved every single thing.

"Can I go see her?" Teá's voice brought Joey back to reality. Actually going into the room hadn't really crossed his mind- especially since just looking in the window broke his heart. But Grandpa nodded.

"Hearing a voice may help her now," he said. "Your voice may be the best one for the job." Teá nodded and rushed into the room.

"Torina?" she asked, standing in the doorway. "Tori, can you hear me?" Tori's face was frighteningly pale as she laid on the hospital bed. Like Yugi had noted before, she was hooked up to a respirator- tubes were coming out of her nose and mouth and there was an I.V. in her arm. Her eyes were closed. Teá had never seen a person that was once so full of life... look so dead.

Teá took a deep breath as she walked over to the chair next to Tori's bed and sat down. She just sat there- at the moment, she didn't know what to say. Her own words continued to echo through her head: "She's just a kid." She shook her head. 

"Oh, Tori," she said. "How could anyone ever think of harming you like that?"

"No one knows Tori like you do," said a voice. "It would be easy for someone who knew nothing about her to try something like that." Teá turned around to see Hikaru standing behind her and instantly became angry.

"Why didn't you help her?" she demanded. "You're supposed to be her guardian or whatever! She could have died- she could still die! Why?!" Hikaru frowned.

"You think I didn't try?" she asked, her tone matching Teá's perfectly. "I couldn't reach Torina no matter what I did and I was scared beyond belief." Her gaze softened as she looked at the young girl. "There are times when Torina accidentally blocks me without even noticing it- she becomes so transfixed on something that her focus is on nothing but the problem at hand. Today, she was so focused on saving Yugi, she did not think of herself. When she gets like that, it makes it hard for me contact her, no matter what I try. But she doesn't need for us to be arguing right now- she needs to hear whatever you rushed over here in your pajamas to tell her."

With that, Hikaru was gone, leaving Teá to wonder just what she had came to say. She bit her lip, in a Tori-induced gesture, but only for a moment. Then, her hand went to the front pocket on her sweatshirt and she pulled out a closed fist.

"If you can hear me, Tori," she said. "I bought these a couple days ago- I was gonna wait until your birthday... not that I know when that is, but anyway I thought now would be a better time." She opened her fist to reveal two necklaces. On each chain was a small winged-heart pendant. "This one's mine," Teá continued as she put the necklace around her neck. "See, on the front it says "Use your wings to fly." And on yours it says "You will reach the sky-" I thought that was cool, because you favorite card is the Wingweaver and all... but the back's are what's really important. The back of mine says "Best" and yours says "Friends.""

As Teá carefully put the necklace around Tori's neck, she continued to talk. 

"I got them, because that's what we are. I've never had a friend like you before, Tori- sure, Yugi, Tristen and Joey are really great guys, but they're, well... guys. I've always been close to them and I always will be- but that doesn't mean I'm not glad to finally have a girl for a friend, especially one like you..." Teá tried to hold back her tears as she put her hand on the railing of Tori's bed. "Don't leave me, Tori- please don't go..."

Suddenly, Teá heard a soft groan come from Tori's bed. Seconds later, Teá felt a hand rest on top of her own, followed by a light squeeze. She looked over to see Torina, her eyes barely open and smiling at Teá. She looked like she was still tired, but managed to say what was on her mind.

"Thank you... Ami." As Torina fell back asleep, Teá smiled- Ami, Japanese for friend. Tori was definitely sticking around for a while- her comment assured Teá of that. Teá shook her head and walked out the door- Joey and the others would want to see Tori now.


	13. Bad Feelings and First Dates

She was crazy- that's all there was too it. There was no way any sane person would do what she did... at least Pegasus thought there wasn't. He hadn't been able to get inside Torina's mind for the longest time and when he was finally able to, the first thing he did was look at her memories for the past few days. He couldn't believe what he saw- what would make his niece risk her life like that? There was no logic to it.

"She could have been killed," he thought. "I could have lost her forever because of that stupidity..." A look of remorse covered his face, suddenly followed by his hand slapping himself across the face. "What am I thinking?! I don't need her! I don't need anyone... except Cecilia. And once I've finished with my niece and her new comrades, I will have what I want... and as for losing Torina..." The remorseful look returned again. "I've already done that." There was a moment of silence before Pegasus summoned Kemo and Croquet.

"Yes, Master Pegasus?" they asked, obediently. "What do you need?" Pegasus smiled.

"Croquet," he said. "I would like you to have the Millennium Ring cleaned up by tomorrow evening." Croquet nodded as Pegasus shifted his gaze towards Kemo. "And Kemo- I have a very special job in store for you."

"Hey, Bakura!" Tori called, happily. "You're back!" As she and the group of friends rushed towards him, Bakura turned around and gave them a warm smile. He had been let out the hospital over the weekend, not long after Tori.

"Yes," he said. "It has been awhile- some of my injuries took longer to heal than was expected." Joey playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"Well," he said. "Either way, it's good to have you back, Bakura." Bakura chuckled.

"If it is not too much trouble," he continued. "I would like for you to please call me Ryou- my first name. Bakura reminds me too much of the part of me I have left behind." Tori said the name to herself.

"I like it," she decided. "It means companion, right?" Ryou nodded, approvingly.

"That's right, Torina."

"Call me Tori- like with you and Bakura, Torina is a part of me I have left behind."

Suddenly, the bell signaling the beginning of the next period rang, cuing everyone that it was time to rush to class. But before the friends spilt up, they all promised to meet at Yugi and Tori's place after school to do something.

"See ya then, Ryou!" Tori called.

"You can count on it, Tori!" Ryou called back, the warm smile still expressed on his face. It was good to be back.

Ryou walked the familiar street towards Yugi Moto's home at the card shop. He was rather surprised when he heard that Tori now lived there- he had missed a lot while he was gone. It wasn't that his friends never came to see him, gracious no- they just never told him the minor stuff. When Tori and Joey got together, on the other hand, he was one of the first to know- his hospital room had been right down the hall. He laughed at the thought those two together- a perfect match if he ever saw one. He was so caught up in his thinking, he didn't notice the black limousine coming up behind him...

"This is nuts!" cried Tori. "Ryou should have been here over an hour ago! I'm going out to look for him." She headed towards the door as Joey put a hand on her arm.

"Not without me, ya ain't!" he said. Since she left the hospital, he hadn't let her out of his sight unless he really had too- even then, he made sure someone he trusted was with her. Tori merely nodded and the two of them continued towards the door... just as Ryou walked in.

"Ryou!" said Teá. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick about you!" Ryou walked past Joey and Tori and over to Teá.

"I'm sorry to have worried you," he said apologetically. "Something came up at home that needed attending to."

"Everything all right?" asked Tristen. Ryou nodded.

"Oh yes, everything is fine." As Ryou talked to Tristen and Teá, a strange feeling crept over Tori- something just wasn't right.

//Are you all right, aibou?// asked Hikaru.

/Do you feel that?/ came the reply.

//Feel what?//

/Something is wrong- very wrong./

"Hey, Tori," Joey said. It was the Friday after the Ryou incident when Joey came over to talk to Tori. She'd been reading on the couch in the living room when she looked up at him and smiled.

"Hmm?" Joey shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He wasn't quite sure why he was so nervous all of a sudden.

"You know that gift certificate we won at the dance competition?" She nodded. "Well, we haven't used it yet. So, I was wondering... would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?" 

Tori raised her eyebrows.

"Like a date?" she asked.

"Well... yeah, I guess so," Joey replied, scratching the back of his head. Tori gave a chuckle.

"Then of course!" she said with a grin, causing Joey to grin too.

"I'll pick you up around seven?" he asked. Tori nodded.

"Seven would be lovely. See ya then!" With that, Joey stumbled out the door and Tori went back to her reading, chuckling the entire time. About twenty minutes later she looked up at a clock- ten to six. It wouldn't take her an entire hour to get ready, but it might be a good idea if she got started anyway. She hopped up from the couch and was about to head to her room, when she had an idea- she had to find Yami and Yugi. Hikaru wasn't going to like this idea, but oh well!

Joey came to pick Tori up right at seven. He knocked on the door just as Tori walked down that stairs. She had debated on what to wear before settling on a pair of nice black jeans and a pastel blue blouse. She saw Joey standing in the doorway- he looked great in _his _black jeans and green long sleeve shirt.

"Hey, Tori," he said, pulling a bouquet of bright yellow roses out from behind his back. "For you." She smiled as she took the bouquet.

"They're beautiful, Joey!" she said. "Thank you so much." She planted a kiss on his cheek before taking the roses into the kitchen. Joey put a hand to his cheek as he watched her walk away. She had kissed him many times, but it never felt as special as this. Moments later, she reappeared and they walked out to Joey's car, a 1986 Dodge Charger, and drove to the restaurant.

"What the devil is going on here?" cried Hikaru. She had come out of the Millennia Diamond to ask Tori why she had been being so quiet. But when she came out, she was alone in Tori's room... well, not quite alone- Yami was there, with a single purple iris. "Yami?" He smiled and gave a nod.

"You're Hikari went out on a date with Joey," he said. He was about to say more, when Hikaru cut in, sounding rather angry.

"SHE WHAT?!" she cried. "She went without me! Why? How am I supposed to protect her if I'm not there?!"

"Love, calm down!" said Yami. "Tori is with Joey- she couldn't be any safer even if she was at home in her own bed!" His smiled widened. "She left the Diamond here so you and I could have a night alone- something she thought you might need." Hikaru dropped her defensiveness and smiled.

"It scares me sometimes to think of how well she knows me- better than even I do."

The restaurant was a nice one. Known as the "Seraph," it was beautiful, but wasn't as stuffy as the one's Pegasus had dragged Tori to- she was thankful for that as Joey helped her out of his car.

"Shall we?" Joey asked, offering her his arm as they entered. Tori smiled.

"We shall," she replied, looping her arm in his. They walked into the restaurant and found a table. Joey pulled her chair out for Tori, then sat down himself. Seconds later, a waiter came over.

"Hello," he said. "My name is Michael, I'll be your waiter this evening. What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke," Torina said. Joey nodded his agreement and Michael departed to get their drinks.

"You look great, Tori," Joey said. Tori began to blush.

"Thanks," she replied. "You don't look so bad yourself." They both grinned like there was no tomorrow.

"It's kinda strange, ya know?" Joey commented. "We've been goin' out for a while, but this is our first real date." Tori thought about this for a second and nodded.

"You're right, it is..." She paused. "I guess it just feels so..."

"Right?"

"Yeah. Feels so right that we haven't really needed to." Another pause. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you. This is nice, having some time one-on-one." Joey nodded as 

Michael came back with their drinks.

"Are you ready to order, or do you want a few more minutes. Tori and Joey looked at each other.

"Are you ready?" they asked at the same time, then laughed. "Yeah, I'm ready," they replied at the same time once again, then laughed. Michael chuckled a bit and took out his notepad.

"You go first," Joey said, before Tori had a chance to say the same. She nodded.

"All right..." she said. "I think I will have the honey glazed chicken with the baked potato." Michael scribbled on his pad.

"Sour cream or butter?"

"Both. " Tori replied, without hesitation. Michael nodded.

"All right, for you, sir?"

"I'll have the same," Joey said, handing him their menus. Michael nodded, took the menus and went back to the kitchens. As they waited for their food, Joey and Tori talked about... what else? Duel Monsters.

"I've never faced a Blue-Eyes," Tori admitted. "But I'm confidant that once equipped with the right magic cards, my Wingweaver can do the job, no sweat." Joey began to laugh.

"What, and my Red Eyes couldn't?" he asked. "It could whip the skirt off your Wingweaver any day." It was Tori's turn to laugh.

"Oh really? I think the attack points of my Wingweaver would prove you wrong- 2750 to 2400." Joey was about to argue that his Metal Morph would change that when Michael brought there food. After thanking Michael, Tori's attention turned to her plate. "Mmm, Honey Glazed Chicken- one of the main things I dream about at night..." She looked at Joey and smiled. "Along with you and giant doughnuts."

The pair finished their meal with in minutes- it seemed like they were racing to see who would finish first, but in reality they were just really hungry. Tori figured that it was now probably time to go home... but Joey had other ideas.

"Come on," he said, after paying for the meal with the certificate. "There's one more place I want us to go." Tori gave him a puzzled look but agreed- she'd told Grandpa that she might be a little late anyway. A short time later, Tori found herself standing on a rooftop over looking Domino.

"Joey," she whispered. "It's so beautiful." Joey smiled and gave a nod. On the street below, a small street corner band began to play a soft tune. He took her hand.

"You wanna dance, Tori-girl?" he asked. Tori nodded eagerly and Joey took her in his arms. For the longest time the two of them simply danced their way across the roof top... until Joey couldn't feel his feet on the ground. He looked down at them, then cautiously tapped Tori on the shoulder. She looked at him, wondering what made him stop.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He pointed below them- they were at least fifteen feet above the rooftop. She looked as amazed as Joey, but then closed her eyes. They slowly drifted back to the rooftop. Once they were on solid ground, Joey shot Tori a confused look.

"I thought you said Pegasus took your powers!" he said. Tori shook her head. Then after a moment, she began to smile.

"Well," she said. "Hate took them away and it would seem that love might bring them back." He smile widened. "You always seem to bring out the best in me, Joey Wheeler."


	14. Missing

Tori didn't get home from her date until an hour later- she and Joey just sat on the rooftop and talked. That was it, just talked. It was ten o'clock when Tori came in the front door, walked into the living room and plopped on the couch. Seconds later, she was fast asleep and pretty much dead to the world.

The next morning, Tori let out a huge yawn as she stretched her arms out above her head. Okay, how did she get here? She'd fallen asleep on the couch but now he was in Yugi's room. She shook her head as she started off to find him. Before leaving the room, she grabbed the Millennium Puzzle. As soon as she touched it, she felt a strange power fill her being. It caused her to freeze in her tracks, but only for a moment.

/Well, that was strange,/ she thought. /Now to find that brother of mine./ She headed downstairs first. Grandpa was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Well good morning, Sleepy head!" he said. "Did you have fun last night?" Tori nodded with a yawn.

"Yeah, it was great," she replied. "Where's Yugi? On the couch?" Grandpa shook his head.

"Nope- I'm thinking he's up in your room, considering you were in his." Tori didn't bother asking how he knew where she slept. She simply nodded and headed to her room. Seconds later, she let out a blood curdling scream.

"GRANDPA!" The old man instantly dropped what he was doing and rushed to Tori's room. She was standing in the doorway, pale as a ghost.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Tori pointed to the hall that led to her bedroom.

"Yugi..." Grandpa hurried down the hall and saw exactly what she was talking about: Yugi was gone, along with the blankets on Tori's bed and her Millennia Diamond. Tori was in shock- how could this have happened?

Meanwhile, Ryou Bakura was also thinking of the previous night. He had slipped in through the unlocked front door of the Moto home- stupid girl had forgotten to lock it after she came in from her date. While Pegasus had told him that Torina was asleep on the couch, when he went to get her, no one was there. Remembering that she had the room, the apartment, in the attic, information courtesy of Pegasus, he headed for the stairs. He looked through the doorway- the bedroom was down the hallway, if Pegasus' Intel was right. He walked down to the back room. The figure in the bed was fast asleep and the Millennia Diamond was on the table next to the bed.

'Got the right room,' Bakura thought, and walked over to the bed. The covers were up over her head, so Bakura simply picked her up blankets and all and hauled her over his shoulder, hitting the girl's head on the bed post as he did so. As an afterthought, he grabbed the Diamond necklace off of the bedside table and slipped it into his pocket. Then he crept back downstairs and out into the still night. He headed down the street where a car with one of Pegasus's henchmen was waiting. He tossed her in the backseat and climbed in the front. They took off, with an unsuspecting Tori lying on the floor.

Moments later at an old apartment building on the outside of town, Bakura unceremoniously dropped the bundle of blankets in front of Pegasus. He had been waiting for Bakura to pull this stunt since stopping Ryou on the street at the beginning of the week. Just by giving the boy the Millennium Ring, he had been able to recall the spirit, Bakura and make him an incredible offer: kidnap Torina from the Moto's and be rid of Ryou forever. Fail and be sent to the Shadow Realm... again... permanently. How could he refuse? Pegasus then pulled the blankets away from the limp body to reveal... Yugi?

"What the-" Bakura's jaw dropped and the ex-tomb robber was left momentarily speechless, "But- How-"

"You idiot! I give you a second chance and you waste it!" Pegasus fumed.

"I got this too," Bakura said quickly, pulling the Millennia Diamond from his pocket. He didn't like taking orders, but he wasn't particularly thrilled with the prospect of getting stuck in the Shadow Realm, and he still wanted to rid himself of Ryou permanently. Pegasus studied his possibilities.

"Perhaps," he said slowly, "There is a way to salvage this mix-up. Take him down to the basement for now- make sure he's locked up tight... and put that necklace with him." He looked down at Yugi and let out an evil laugh as Bakura hoisted him onto his shoulder and exited. "Perhaps there is a way to salvage this after all," he repeated, taking a sip from his glass... 

At that moment in time, Yugi was dreaming- about what had happened the night before. He had gone downstairs to grab a drink when he noticed a pair of feet hanging off the end of the couch and shook his head. Tori must have had fun with Joey- they probably had an eating contest or something. He wouldn't exactly put it past them.

/That couch can't be very comfortable,/ he thought. /But, how do I get her to her room? That's two flights of stairs... but my room is only one./ Yugi managed to pick up Tori and carry her to his room, where he placed her in his bed and tucked her in. He turned around and was about to head up to her room when he stopped. He went back over to her side and kissed her cheek.

"Good night, sis."

Tori had been sitting alone on her bed for the longest time, since Grandpa had called the police, only to have them say there was nothing they could do.

"But I know who did it!" Tori had yelled. "My uncle has him! We have to go after Yugi before my uncle does something to him!" Seconds later, Grandpa shook his head in defeat and hung up the phone.

"It's no use, Tori," he said sadly. "They won't do a thing for twenty-four hours. They said if he's still gone, we're to call again." Tori's eyes welled up with tears.

"But... Yugi..." It was more than she could take- she rushed up to her room, the Millennium Puzzle still in her hand and locked herself inside- not even Joey could bring her out. He, Tristen and Teá had rushed over as soon as they heard what had happened.

"Tori-girl, it's not your fault!" he called through the door. "No one could have known Yugi was gonna switch places with you, not even your uncle!" 

"Joey's right, Tori!" cried Teá. "We'll get Yugi back!" There was no reply, causing Joey to sigh. Seconds later, he began to walk away.

"Where are you going, Joey?" asked Tristen. "Aren't we gonna get her out of there?" Joey turned slightly and shook his head.

"We should just leave 'er alone. I know Tori- she'll come out when she's ready." As they walked away, Tori cracked a slight smile. It often amazed her how well Joey knew her. It reminded her of stories Hikaru had told her about Yami's best friend, Juno. Juno had been the first to welcome Hikaru into his circle of friends after her escape from her uncle, much like Yugi had done with Tori- because of that single act of kindness, a special bond was formed that couldn't be broken. Tori's smile increased as she thought back to a specific story: when Juno introduced Hikaru to Yami.

"I'm gonna get you for this, Juno!" Hikaru called as she chased him down the street, dripping wet and dodging people left and right. He had just played a rather childish joke on her, arranging a bucket of water over her door, so it drenched her when she stepped outside, and the sixteen-year-old girl was less than amused with him. And Juno was running like there was no tomorrow.

"Eh, come on, Hikaru!" he cried, not slowing down a bit. "Can't we talk this out, maybe?" He heard his friend's laugh fill the street... and took it as a no.

"You just wait until I get my hands on...oof!" Tori suddenly slammed into something and fell on her back. As she began to pick herself up, and muttered something about a stupid boy, she discovered that the something she ran into was really a someone- a boy not much older than she, holding his hand out to her, and smiling. He was very attractive- reddish-purple hair streaked blonde, bangs of the same color, violet eyes... and that smile was amazing.

"I must apologize," he said as she took his hand and he helped her to her feet. Hikaru just looked at him for a second longer before smiling.

"Not at all," she replied. "I should have been watching where I was going... besides, it's all Juno's fault anyway."

"Hey! If you're gonna accuse me of something, at least let me be here to defend myself!" Hikaru looked over the boy's shoulder to see Juno standing behind him, looking rather pleased with himself. "Hey, Yami," he continued. "I see you've meet my friend, Hikaru. Hikaru, this is Yami... better known as Pharaoh..." Yami put his hand over his friend's mouth, an exasperated look on his face.

"Shh, Juno!" he cried. "I'm not supposed to be out here, and you know that!" He then 

looked at their female companion. Hikaru- what a beautiful name... what a beautiful girl; a Bishoujo. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hikaru." Hikaru simply smiled.

That's when it hit Tori- the Millennia Diamond was with Yugi, which meant Hikaru was also with Yugi... and Tori was completely hopeless. Her powers may have been rekindling, but there was no telling what she was and wasn't capable of yet... and without Hikaru, there was no way she could save Yugi. She put a hand to the Millennium Puzzle- she had put it around her neck shortly after locking herself in her room. A childish gesture, she knew, but she hoped it would make her feel even a little better. It didn't.

"Oh Yami," she whispered. "If only I could bring you here. I don't know what to do- Yugi's gone because of me and I... I..." Tears began to roll down her cheek and one landed on the Puzzle. "How I wish you could help me now."

Suddenly, the item began to glow brightly and Tori felt the surge of power fill her once more. When the light died down, Yami was standing in front of her. Tori gasped, her eyes wide with astonishment. 

"Yami?!" she cried, confused as possible. The Pharaoh nodded. "But, you... you're... Yugi's... wha... how?" Yami sat down beside her and wiped away one of her tears with his thumb.

"Thanks to your love and concern for Yugi, along with the bond you two share, I am here- just as you wished."

"Bond?" asked Tori. "What bond?" Yami gave her a soft smile.

"I felt it this morning, " he replied. "As soon as you touched the Puzzle, I knew that you and my aibou had formed a special bond, one of a strong family love, which allows me to assist you as well. And together, we will bring Yugi home, where he belongs." Tori let out a relieved sigh and wrapped her arms around Yami's neck. The spirit was taken by surprise, but slowly returned her embrace. Yugi was never this emotional, so it was going to take some getting used to. "Do not worry, Bishoujo. Everything will be all right."

Meanwhile, in his prison, Yugi was feeling less than comfortable. Sitting on Tori's blankets and leaning up against an old dishwasher, he was scared and confused- why was he here? His only clue was the Millennia Diamond at his side- whoever had kidnapped him must have been after Tori. Well, that narrowed down the possibilities a bit, but it scared him even more. What would Pegasus do? The boy lost himself in his thoughts.

/I wish Hikaru could come out... but that's impossible without Tori... just like Yami can't get out.../ He placed his hand on the Millennia Diamond and to his surprise, it began to glow. The next thing he knew, Hikaru was there, standing next to him.

"Hikaru?" Yugi asked, surprised. The spirit nodded.

"Since you and Tori have grown so close, I can help you, and Yami can help Tori," Hikaru replied to his unspoken question of 'How?' "Are you alright? Uh, and exactly where are we?"

"A basement of some sort," Yugi replied, "I'm fine, just a small headache. I just wish I knew what happened." Footsteps approaching made Hikaru go back in the Diamond. Neither wanted the fact that both Yami's could help them to get out just yet. A moment later, Pegasus himself was standing in front of the door.

"Hello, Yugi-boy, enjoying your stay?" Pegasus said, mock cheerfully. The glare Yugi was giving him would have rivaled anything Yami could have."Now, now Yugi. That's not a polite way to act to your host. You weren't the intended guest for this room, but none the less, you are now apart of my plan to get her here. Aren't you pleased?" Pegasus was smiling at him in a way Yugi didn't like.

"Leave her alone!" Yugi cried.

"Ah, the loyalty of youth," Pegasus sighed, "But if you honestly think your weak pleading will stop me, you are wrong, Yugi-boy."

"What did she ever do to you!?" Yugi shouted. Pegasus pretended he didn't hear him.

"Bakura will be contacting her momentarily. Knowing my niece, she'll be over immediately to rescue her 'brother'. That's when the real fun begins. But don't worry, Yugi-boy, you'll get a front row seat of the show. Trust me- It will be worth watching." Pegasus laughed and left. Yugi let out a relieved sigh.

/(Yugi to Hikaru/Yami) Hikaru... you can come back out now./ She did, a highly worried expression on her face.

"We can't warn her..." she whispered.

"We'll find a way to help her," Yugi said determinedly. "I'm not going to sit by and let Pegasus hurt her again." Then he sighed. "They've gotta be worried sick by now. I hate being this helpless."

"I know, Yugi. I know." Suddenly, the door opened and closed again, cuing Hikaru to dash back inside the Millennia Diamond. It was Bakura, along with Pegasus.

"Come on, Yugi- we've got a call to make."

Tori slowly walked down the stairs with Yami at her side. She wasn't sure what the reaction from everyone would be- she was wearing Yugi's Millennium Puzzle after all.

//(Yami to Tori/Yugi/Hikaru) Don't worry, Bishoujo- they won't be angry about the Puzzle.// Tori took a deep breath and bit her lip.

/*(Tori to Yami/Hikaru) You know that, I know that, but do you think _they_ know that?*/ Everyone, consisting of Joey, Teá, Tristen and Grandpa, was waiting in the living room when she came out and Tori noted the look on their faces- complete surprise followed by total relief.

"Yami!" cried Teá. "How did you...?" Yami shook his head and gave everyone the same explanation he had given Tori. Joey nodded.

"Yeah, that makes sense," he said. "Yugi was the first one of us to talk to Tori- the first to become her friend. That would create a bond." Tori let out a mental sigh of relief- out of all the people there, Joey was the one she worried about not understanding the most. She was about to say something when the phone rang. Grandpa went over and picked it up.

"Moto residence," said Grandpa. "This is Solomon. Yes, she is- hold on please." He put his hand over the receiver and looked at Tori. "It's for you." Tori walked over and took the phone.

"Hello?" she asked and almost dropped the phone when she heard the voice on the other end. "Yugi?!"

"Tori!" he said. "Tori, listen to me- what ever he wants, don't do it!" Tori cringed as she heard the sound of a slap, followed by a painful groan from Yugi.

"Yugi?!" A laugh filled Tori's ears. She didn't recognize it, but it still angered her- her narrowed eyes were proof of that. "Who is this?" she demanded. The laughter continued.

"Well, Torina," said a voice, one that matched the laughter. "I believe you know my Hikari as Ryou." There was a pause. "Your silence tells me that you know who I am."

"I knew there was something wrong with Ryou when he came into the card shop that day," Tori admitted. "But I never expected you." The laughter returned.

"You probably never expected me to kidnap your friend either. You know, if you would have just locked the door after you came home it wouldn't have been so easy." Tori mentally cussed herself out.

//Torina!//

/*Well, how could I be so stupid to forget to lock the door?*/

"You also won't expect to get Yugi back," Bakura continued. "Which trust me you will." Tori bit her lip, but only for a second.

"What's the catch?"

"Oh, the catch is you. You see, Torina, this is more of a swap: You for your precious Yugi. Comply and he'll be returned safely. But do anything other than what I tell you... well, I believe the sounds you heard at the beginning of this conversation speak well enough." Tori let out a frustrated sigh.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. Bakura smiled.

"Listen up, Torina," he said. "If you want your friend returned safely, then come alone to the old High Shine Towers apartment complex on Broadway, tomorrow night at nine. Do anything stupid and I kill Yugi. Are we in agreement?" Suddenly, Tori heard the sounds of a scuffle in the background, followed by Yugi's voice.

"DON'T DO IT, TORI!" His demand was followed by another pain stricken yell, angering Tori even more.

"Bakura!" she said. "You or anyone else lays another hand on that boy, you won't get a damn thing from me!" Bakura began to laugh again.

"Keh- why should that threat work on me?"

"Because I'm guessing you struck a deal with my uncle- you bring him me and he gives you something you want. And I know how he is if he doesn't get his way, so my threat should be working perfectly." Bakura let out a growl. The girl was absolutely right- Pegasus wanted her any way he could get her, as long as it was somewhat alive. So yes, her threat was working perfectly.

"Just be there." With that, he hung up the phone as did Tori. No one needed to ask her if she was all right- they could tell she wasn't. Suddenly, Tori let out an enraged scream and drove her fist through the door of a glass cabinet next to her, completely shattering it.

"Tori!" cried Joey, rushing to her side, as did Yami. The girl just stood there. She looked so angry, neither dared to get much closer- they didn't want to be her next target, not even by accident. Seconds later, she shook her head and looked at all the surprised faces around her. Then she looked at the cabinet.

"Oh my God," she said. "Did... did I do that?" Everyone nodded. "Oh Grandpa, I'm so sorry! I-I'll pay to have it fixed."

"It's all right, Tori," said Grandpa. "You were just angry and to be frank, I've never liked that cabinet anyway." Tori nodded, then shifted her gaze over to Yami.

"We go after him tonight," she said. "No matter what deal I make with them, he'll never let Yugi go." Yami nodded his agreement and was about to say something when Joey spoke up.

"What time are we leaving?" Yami and Tori looked at him. "What? You didn't think I was gonna let you two go by yourselves, did ya?" Yami and Tori looked at each other- both knew that there was no use arguing with him.

"Before you go anywhere," said Teá. "Shouldn't you do something about your hand, Tori?" Tori gave her a confused look, then glanced down at her right hand- blood was dripping onto the floor from the cuts in her hand, along with a few pieces of glass sticking out. Tori looked over at Teá and shook her head.

"I didn't feel a thing until you said something." Tori bit her lip. "I don't think my powers have returned enough to heal this- would someone please get me the first aid kit?"

Teá rushed to the bathroom to grab the requested supplies and seconds later she was pulling the glass from her friend's hand and bandaging it up. As she did so, Tori's gaze shifted from her hand to Yami. She gave him a soft smile.

"Yami," she said. "I wanted to talk to you about something- it happened a long time ago, but I never really got a chance to ask."

"What would you like to know, Tori?" came the reply. Tori bit her lip for a second.

"That first time you, Yugi and Hikaru rescued me, from my mind prison, you called on the Dark Magician to stall my uncle- how did you do that? We weren't in a duel at the time." Yami looked at her and smiled.

"I wish I could answer you, Bishoujo," he said. "But I'm not sure myself- summoning the Dark Magician came as an impulse, not a thought out strategy." Tori began to chuckle.

"So basically, it just seemed like a good idea at the time." Yami nodded.

"Right."

"Okay, Tori," said Teá. "Your hand's all patched up, but I suggest you be careful tonight." Tori looked at her hand, then at her friend.

"You're not gonna try to talk me out of this?" she asked. Teá shook her head.

"Of course not! I want Yugi back as much as anyone and if you three going after him is the best way to do it, then all right." Tori smiled.

"All right then- let's get ready!"

Once they were ready, she, Joey and Yami headed off for the apartment building. Each being lost in their own thoughts, not much was said on the way over. Finally, they were standing across the street from the old High Shine Towers.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Joey cried.

"Wait a minute, Joey," said Yami. "We can't go rushing in there without a plan. What Tori said back at the house was right- even if we cooperate, Pegasus won't let Yugi go. Not without a fight, anyway." Tori had been studying the building.

"I'll bet my Dark Magician staff there are guards all over the place," she said after a moment. "Uncle Max probably has him in the basement." 

"What makes you think that?" Joey asked.

"Uncle Max was going after me," she said softly, "and he'd put me where there were no windows." Joey gave her a hug- he had almost forgotten she was a claustrophobic. Yami interrupted them after a moment.

"We need to find away inside." he said. "Pegasus will probably play it one of two ways- let us get to Yugi with no problem, then ambush us, or ambush us the second we walk in the door. We need to be prepared for both." They nodded.

"Front door, back door, side door or open window?" Joey asked.

"Depends on where the open window is," Yami said. Joey pointed. The three looked at each other.

"Perfect," they said at the same time. They crossed the street, and climbed through. They were on the first floor, with a staircase a few feet away. Silently, they descended down, all watching warily. They headed down the hallway, looking into various doors. Finally, they reached the last door. Hikaru was staring anxiously at the door, standing in front of Yugi who was tied up in a chair in a corner.

"Yugi? Hikaru?" Tori called softly. Yugi looked up, but neither looked relieved.

"No!" he cried. "Tori, get out of here! It's a..."

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Trap," Yugi finished weakly. Tori, Yami and Joey turned around. Bakura was standing behind them. He looked at the group and his eyes rested on Hikaru.

"You again!" he cried. "How many times do I have to deal with you!" Suddenly, the Millennia Diamond around Yugi's neck began to shake. Seconds later, Hikaru vanished.

"No, Hikaru!" yelled Tori. She turned towards Bakura. "What have you done with her?" Bakura smiled.

"I sealed her inside that necklace of yours- she'll be no help to you know." 

As he started to walk towards them Yami and Joey untied Yugi, and Tori stood in front of them in a protective stance, her arms out to the sides. Bakura glared at her.

"I warned you of the rules, Torina," he said. "Do anything other than what I said and I'd kill your friend." Tori cracked a smile.

"You're gonna have to get through me first, Bakura," she replied. Before she had time to react, Bakura struck, pinning her up against a nearby wall. Tori drove her knee into Bakura's chest, knocking the wind out of him. She seemed to be holding her own, but that didn't stop Yami from worrying.

//Bishoujo!// Tori sent a glare Yami's way.

/*Get Yugi and Joey out of here- now!*/ Yami nodded back as he continued freeing Yugi and was about to do as he was asked, when a pain stricken scream stopped him in his tracks. Joey's head shot up from he had just finished untying Yugi's legs.

"Tori!" Yugi and Yami looked over at the girl and saw exactly what she had screamed about- she was lying in the ground, cradling her right hand, which now had blood seeping through the bandages. Blood was also on Bakura's left shoe and the floor around it, indicating that he had stepped on Tori's hand and pressed it into the floor. Bakura then kicked her in the stomach, causing Tori to let go of her hurt hand and allowing Bakura to step on it once again, twisting his foot as he did so. Tori's cries were almost unbearable.

Anger instantly consumed the three boys as Yami slipped back inside the Millennium Puzzle, which instantly began to glow. Before Joey could get off the floor, Yugi stood up from the chair. He then rushed over to Tori, knocking Bakura off to the side and on the ground with one hand as he did so. He knelt down at her side and he noticed that her eyes were closed and teeth were clenched together- she must have been in terrible pain and was barely conscious.

Yugi then took the Millennia Diamond and put it around Tori's neck, grabbing his Puzzle, which was still glowing, as he did so. After a second it stopped glowing, revealing a stronger, more confidant Yugi.

"Tori," he said. He lifted up the girl, rested her head on his lap and smoothed down her hair. "Tori," he said again. "I am so sorry for doing this to you..." Tori then began to stir, then looked up at him.

"Yugi?" she asked. Yugi let out a sigh.

"Tori, are you all right?" Suddenly, a blue light surrounded her hand- Yami recognized it as the same one Tori had used to heal Yugi's broken arm. Seconds later, the light disappeared, as did the bandages on Tori's hand and the cuts from the glass. She wiggled her fingers, then looked at Yugi and smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "That was just the boost I needed." Yugi smiled back and helped her to her feet. As Joey rushed over to check on her, Yugi glared at Bakura.

"You didn't need to do that, Bakura," he said, wryly. "And for that you will pay- I challenge you to a duel! I win, my friends and I go free,"

"Oh really?" asked Bakura. "Well, I'd love to comply, but what do you purpose to use for a deck?" Tori cleared her throat as her hand went to her pocket and pulled out a deck of cards- Yugi's deck.

"You think I didn't come prepared?" she asked, handing the cards to Yugi. He nodded his thanks, then looked back at Bakura.

"Are you ready?" Bakura nodded and snapped his fingers, causing a table to appear out of no where. It was designed like a KaibaCorp dueling arena, with a place for each player to put their cards and a field where they most likely came to life. Bakura sat down at one end of the table, Yugi at the other.


	15. Yugi vs Bakura: The Change of Heart Duel

"This is going to be modified Battle City rules, Moto," said Bakura. "We each start with 4000 life points, but tributes are not necessary." Yugi nodded.

"All right then," he said. "When ever you're ready, Bakura- Lets get this over with."

****

4000/4000 (Yugi/Bakura)

Bakura started off his turn by playing the Baron of the Fiend Sword along with a Magic/Trap card face down. He then ended his turn.

//Be careful, aibou- we may have an idea of what this grave robber is capable of, but we don't know what he's learned since the last time we dueled.//

/(Yugi to Yami/Hikaru) I agree, but I won't know unless I try to find out. / Yugi drew a Monster card from his deck, then played it in defense mode. /Hmm... Baron of the Fiend Sword is a good move, but not quite good enough./ Suddenly, Tori rushed to Yugi's side, with two cards in her hand.

"Yugi," she said as she handed him the cards. "Take these!" Yugi gave her a confused look, but took the cards.

"What are they Tori?" he asked.

"My two favorite cards- Wingweaver and the Dark Witch. I have a feeling they can help you!" Bakura let out a groan.

"Can we get on with it now?" he asked. "Two cards won't help you anyway, not with little surprise I have planned." Yugi shot him a look.

"What are you talking about, Bakura?" 

//Are you sure you want to know?// Bakura flashed him an evil grin.

"You'll see soon enough." Tori placed her hand on Yugi's shoulder.

"Put them in your deck, Yugi," she said. "Trust me!" Yugi nodded

"All right." With that he slipped the cards into his deck, reshuffled and ended his turn.

"I said that two cards wouldn't help you," said Bakura. "But after I place this card face down, I guess I have to prove that- Baron of the Fiend Sword: destroy his face down card!" Yugi began to smile.

"Bad idea, Bakura." Yugi then flipped over his face down card- the Wall of Illusion. Not to be outdone, Bakura flipped over his trap card, Reinforcements, which rose his Baron of the Fiend Sword's attack to 2050. Yugi's eyes narrowed as he put the Wall of Illusion into the graveyard as Bakura returned his Baron to his had, as the effect of Wall of Illusion required. He then placed a card from their hand face down and ended his turn.

"Joey," said Torina, rather annoyed. "You're not doing much cheering!" Joey nodded, not taking his eyes off of Bakura.

"Sorry, Tori," he said. "I'm just tryin' to figure out what he's up to." Tori shook her head and took a deep breath.

"I'm not sure I want to know..."

//Why not, Bishoujo?//

/*It's just a feeling and I'm trying not to take chances when Hikaru's not around- she's not fond of me getting in trouble when she's gone.*/ Yami chuckled.

/What's so funny, Yami?/

//Nothing, aibou- nothing at all//

/All right then./ Yugi then placed a card hand face down in the Magic/Trap zone along with a monster in defense. He then ended his turn. Bakura began his turn with the same card that started to game for him- Baron of the Fiend Sword. Tori raised an eyebrow.

"Why that card again?" she muttered. "What's he doing?" Bakura suddenly to looked over her way.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" asked Bakura. "Don't get to anxious, Torina- You'll see soon enough..." He then flipped over a Trap Card- the Acid Trap Hole. "Now if that face down card of your has a defense of 2000 or less, Yugi, it'll be destroyed.. Yugi frowned as he placed his Mystical Elf into the graveyard. Tori bit her lip- she shouldn't have asked. "And that," Bakura continued. "Allows me to attack your life points directly. Do it, Baron of the Fiend Sword!"

"Not so fast, Bakura!" cried Yugi as he flipped over a Waboku, which reduced the Baron's attack to zero. Tori smiled.

"Good move, Yugi!" she said happily.

"Yeah," added Joey. "Good goin', Yuge!" Bakura shook his head.

"No matter," he said. "That won't save you next time."

/That was close... But he's right- I only have one Waboku in my deck./ 

//Don't worry- we won't need it.//

/I hope you're right./ Yugi placed the trap card into the graveyard just as Bakura ended his turn. Yugi drew a card, then placed the same card in defense on the field and ended his turn. Bakura just stood there- Tori couldn't tell if he had fallen asleep or what.

"And now," he said, finally. "Baron of the Fiend Sword, attack Yugi's face down card!" Tori gulped as Yugi placed his Stern Mystic into the Graveyard.

"Don't worry Yuge," cried Joey. "You can trash this guy! You've done it before!" Torina nodded, eagerly.

"Yeah!" she added. "You've got this creep, Yugi!" Bakura then ended his turn, cuing Yugi to draw a card. As soon as he did so, he began to smile.

"Here we go!" he said. "I play Card Destruction!" Yugi put his hand into the graveyard, as did Bakura and drew three more cards- one of which was the Dark Magician. "And now... I play the Dark Magician!" Tori smiled.

"All right!" she said. "Go Dark Magy!" Joey looked at his girl and smiled- she really got into this stuff. The Dark Magician destroyed Bakura's Baron of the Fiend Sword, but didn't do a thing to his life points- Bakura flipped over a Waboku. "Ah, man- you're lucky!" Bakura shot her an icy glare as he drew a card... but then he began to laugh.

"Anybody else not like the sound of that?" asked Joey, right before Bakura placed a Change of Heart on the field.

"I'll be taking your Dark Magician now, Yugi," Bakura said as the monster switched to his side. "And I'll use his to attack your life points! Dark Magic Attack!"

****

1500/4000

"Don't worry Yuge," said Joey. "You've been in tougher spots! Besides, it's only for one turn and we all know he hasn't got another one of those in his deck- you're only allowed to have one!" Bakura smiled as he put the Change of Heart into the graveyard.

"I may only have one," he thought, "But I have a card that can bring it back if I need it." The Dark Magician went back under Yugi's control as Bakura placed a card facedown and ended his turn. Yugi drew another card.

/All right, here we go!/ 

//Get what you were looking for, Yugi?//

/Sorta./ He looked at Bakura and smiled as he placed a Doma The Angel of Silence face up next to the Dark Magician.

"Doma," he said. "Attack Bakura's face down card!" Bakura scowled as he put his Witty Phantom into the graveyard. "And Dark Magician, attack his life points!"

****

1500/1500

"That evens things out." Yugi said with a grin. Joey also grinned, as did Tori.

"Go, Yugi!" she said, happily. Bakura ignored her as he placed two cards face down- one Magic/Trap and one monster. He then ended his turn. Yugi then began his turn by drawing a card and placing one in his Magic/Trap zone, face down.

"Doma," he said. "Attack Bakura's face down card." The Angel of Silence did so, revealing a D. Human... and a Castle Walls trap card. Bakura smiled.

"That makes D. Human defense more that Doma's attack." he said... but Yugi just smiled as he flipped over a Reinforcements.

"Not quite, Bakura." Bakura scowled as he put his monster into the graveyard along with his trap card. Tori giggled.

"Bye-bye D. Human!" she said.

//Nice play, aibou.//

/Thanks./

"Awesome job, Yuge!" commented Joey. Bakura drew a card and began to smile.

"Just the card I needed," he said as he put down a Monster Reborn.

"Uh-oh," said Tori. Joey looked over at Yugi.

"I **_really _**don't like the sound of that..." he said. The silence from Yugi and Tori told everyone that they didn't like it either. Bakura then pulled a card from his graveyard- a Cosmo Queen, one of the cards he had to discard thanks to Yugi's Card Destruction.

"And just to make sure you're not hiding something," Bakura said. "I play De-Spell first- what do you have hiding there." Yugi said nothing, but put a Remove Trap into the graveyard. Tori looked at him, a bit of fear on her face.

"Yugi," she said. "I really don't like this." Yugi looked at her and gave a soft smile.

"It'll be okay sis..." Bakura's eyebrows suddenly rose at the word 'sis.'

"Sis?" he asked. "Why Yugi, I wasn't aware you had any other family besides that grandfather of yours." Yugi didn't see where that had any relevance... until he realized what Bakura was getting at. 

/Oh God, he wouldn't!/ Yami wished to break this to his aibou easily, but couldn't really think of a way to do it.

//Wouldn't he? He's done it before.// As Bakura's Cosmo Queen attacked Yugi's Dark Magician, Yugi fired one demand at him.

"Leave her alone, Bakura!"

****

1050/1500

"So protective you are," Bakura said with a smile. As he said that, Joey also realized what Bakura was thinking.

"Don't even think about it!" he said, angrily. The harshness in his voice scared Tori as much as Bakura's evil laugh.

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" she asked. Yugi said nothing- he just drew a card, placed Doma into defense and ended his turn.

"All out of moves, Yugi?" asked Bakura. "Oh dear- Cosmo Queen, attack his Doma!" The Queen did so, sending Yugi's Angel to the graveyard. Tori was looking at Yugi, but he refused to look her in the eye- something was very wrong.

"Yugi," she said. "What was he talking about?" Her friend said nothing, but Bakura began to smile.

"She doesn't even know, Yugi?" he asked. "Tsk-tsk, that's not taking very good care of your family, now is it?" Joey glared at him.

"Leave her out of this, Bakura!" he shouted.

"Keh- make me."

"I'm warning you!" Complete fear was shown in Tori's eyes as she bit her lip. This really wasn't good. Yugi took a deep breath, his hands shaking.

//Calm down, Yugi!//

/I can't! If I don't draw a good card soon, I'm history! And if I lose, who knows what Bakura'll do to Tori?/ He then placed a card in defense and ended his turn. Bakura wasted no time in using his Cosmo Queen to attack the card Yugi had just played. Yugi frowned as he put Silver Fang into the graveyard. 

/*Yami, what is going on? What are they talking about?*/ Yami didn't answer her- she didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was. /*Yami! Please!*/ He still said nothing. Bakura then looked at Torina and smiled. The look sent a cold chill though Tori's body and she gave a shudder. Joey instantly noticed and looked over at Yugi

"Cream this guy, Yuge!" he said. Yugi nodded.

"As soon as it's my turn." That comment only widened Bakura's smile.

"Well," he said. "Since it seems you've done such a poor job of preparing your sister... we should finish this in the Shadow Realm."

//No!// Tori heard Yami's exclamation and looked shocked.

"What?" she asked and looked over at Joey- his eyes were on Bakura, a fire raging inside them. He then looked over at Tori.

"Tori-girl, see if you can use your powers to keep us out of the Shadow Realm. Hurry!" Tori nodded and closed her eyes. A bright blue aura surrounded her, but it seemed that nothing she did could stop the room from darkening as they slipped into the Shadow Realm. She sighed in defeat as the aura vanished.

"I'm sorry, Joey," she said. "He's too strong- I haven't got enough power to stop him!" Bakura began to laugh.

"Yes," he said, "and the fact that I was blocking most of what little power you have doesn't help any, does it?" Yugi's eyes narrowed.

//Why that...//

"I told you to leave her be!" he yelled.

"Keh- since when do I listen to a Pharaoh or a mortal?"

"I'm warning you!"

"Do I honestly care about your pathetic threats?" Yugi's anger softened as he began to become scared.

"Bakura! Don't do it!" Tori gulped and looked over at Yugi.

/*Yami, what's going on? Stop trying to protect me and just tell me!*/ Before Yami could say a word, Bakura began to laugh.

"You obviously can't stop me," he said. "So..." Suddenly, Bakura's ring started to glow. Suddenly, another aura surrounded Tori, this time it was black as night- completely evil. Seconds later, her eyes closed and she collapsed.

"TORI!" yelled Joey and Yugi.

//Oh no...//

"WHAT DID YOU DO, BAKURA?!" cried Joey. Yugi scowled.

"I told you to let her be!" he said. Bakura smiled.

"I'll let her go- if..."

"If?" asked Joey.

"If you can beat me."

"There's no "if" about it," said Yugi. "I will beat you!" Joey glared at Bakura as Yugi drew his next card. He let out a gasp.

//What's wrong, Yugi?//

/It's one of Tori's cards- the Wingweaver! Do I dare play it?/ He looked in his hand, then gave a smile. /With this, I do!/ Yami gave a worried sigh.

//What do you have in mind?// Yugi looked up at Bakura.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light," he said. "Which freezes your Monsters for three turns¼"

//Good idea.//

/Yeah, but I'm gonna hate myself in the morning¼/

"And I also summon the Wingweaver, in attack mode!" The six-winged fairy of peace appeared on the field, followed by a very confused voice.

"Hey, what the¼? Yugi? What's going on?" Joey shot Yugi a confused look.

"What the¼" Joey said, slowly. "Yuge... does that sound like¼" Again the voice jumped in.

"Joey? Where are you?"

"I'm right here!" Joey yelled. "Where are you?"

"Ah!" the voice cried. "Giant Yugi? And Bakura? What the..?"

"Joey," said Yugi. "Look on the field." Joey did so and was amazed at what he saw.

"TORI?" There she was- a miniature version dressed in the Wingweaver's costume. As Bakura began to laugh, Tori closed her eyes.

"Wake up, Tori," she muttered. "Just wake up."

"Foolish mortal, you aren't dreaming!" cried Bakura. Tori looked up at him.

"And I know this how? As far as I know, this is a bad nightmare that I will hopefully wake up from soon!" Bakura pointed to Yugi.

"Ask your 'brother.'" Torina looked over at Yugi- he was nodding.

"You're not dreaming, Tori." Tori nodded back.

"Okay... Yugi, what do I do?

"Stand down for now- I've got Swords of Reveling Light up, so, you're safe."

"Okay." Joey nodded.

"Don't worry Tori," he called. "He'll make sure nothin happens to ya." Bakura let out a 'keh' as he drew his next card.

"I can't do anything with your swords up," he said. "So I'll just pass this turn- but that leaves only two until I can attack again." It was then Yugi's turn to draw. He pulled a card from his deck and smiled.

//You should play that- Joey might be put at ease knowing it's on the field.//

/Right./

"This should make you feel better, Joey," Yugi said. "I play the Flame Swordsman, in attack mode!"

"Flame Swordsman?" asked Tori. "Why him?" Yugi smiled as the fire warrior appeared on the field next to Tori.

"Joey's favorite card." Joey nodded his agreement.

"Yep!" Bakura just rolled his eyes, drew a card and ended his turn.

"One more turn, Yugi," he said. Tori sighed.

"Well," she said. "I feel better... at least I did..." Yugi drew a card and began to smile again.

"You should feel better, Tori," he said, holding up a magic card. "Here's the card I've been waiting on! I play Malevolent Nuzzler and equip it to the Wingweaver." As soon as she was equipped with the card, Tori felt an incredible surge of power rush through her. Her physical appearance didn't change, but you could somehow tell that there was something different. "Wingweaver is now up to 3450," Yugi continued. "More than enough to destroy your Cosmo Queen!" Tori looked up at him and smiled.

"Gotcha!" she said. Tori put her arms out to the side. Then she brought them out in front of her and put them together, so the bottoms of her wrists were touching and her hands made a symmetrical design. Her palms began to glow. "Harmony Blast!" As soon as she said that, a brilliant blue light shot out of her palms, obliterating Bakura's Cosmo Queen.

"No!" Bakura cried, with a low growl.

"Nice job Tori!" Yugi said, approvingly. The girl giggled.

"Thanks, Yugi!" Tori suddenly heard a voice inside her head.

//That was from me too, Bishoujo.//

/*I know, Yami- thanks.*/

****

1050/950

As Yugi ended his turn, the Swords of Revealing light disappeared, allowing Bakura's monsters to attack once again.

"I drew that card just in time," Yugi commented. "One more turn and that would have been the end." Joey nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it," he replied. "Whew." Bakura drew a card and began to grin.

"Don't celebrate too soon," he said, as he prepared to played his next card- The Dark Hole. Tori let out a gasp. Joey's eyes went wide.

"Oh no!" Suddenly, Tori disappeared from the field, as did the Flame Swordsman and Bakura's Mystical Elf.

//Bishoujo!//

"No, Tori!" cried Yugi. She was gone. Bakura began to laugh.

"Yugi," said Joey. "You can get her back, right?" Yugi took a deep breath.

"I hope so." 

//You will- don't worry.//

/I hope you're right./

//I know I am.// Bakura then played one monster card face down and ended his turn. Yugi drew his card.

"I play Neo, the Magic Swordsman in attack mode and attack your face down monster." Bakura flipped over a Hane-Hane- the monster was destroyed, but Neo was returned to Yugi's hand. He then ended his turn. When Bakura played his turn, he once again played a monster in defense, making Yugi wonder what it was. But he had to draw his next card. He closed his eyes as his hand hovered about his deck.

//Come on, Yugi- trust the heart of the cards... for Tori's sake.// That gave Yugi the boost he needed. He placed his fingers on the top card and slowly revealed it to himself.

"I play Monster Reborn!" he said. "And I use it to bring a monster card back from my graveyard." He smiled. "Be reborn- Wingweaver!" Wingweaver Tori suddenly appeared on the field. She looked around for a moment.

"I'm not dead?" she asked, confused. Then, she brightened up. "Hey! I'm not dead! Yes!" Yami let out a sigh of relief.

//Nice to have you back, Bishoujo.//

/*Nice to be back.*/ Joey sighed with relief as well- that was close. 

"Told ya Yugi would make sure nothin happened to ya." he said, still looking really relieved. Tori simply smiled, then looked up at Yugi.

"What do I do now?" she asked.

"Let my magic card do the work," said Yugi as he flipped over an Acid Trap Hole of his own. He thought Bakura would be angry, but instead he smiled. Then Yugi saw why- the face down card had been a Magician of Faith, and would allow Bakura to reclaim a magic card from his graveyard... which he did, but there was no telling which one. But Tori didn't seem to care about that, especially since Yugi then ended his turn.

"I coulda attacked his life points, Yugi!" she said. Yugi said nothing- he was to preoccupied with the magic card Bakura just picked up... and the monster that was played face down. As the card was played both Yami and Yugi sensed something.

"Tori," he said, loudly. "Don't attack that card!" Tori gave him a surprised look- she had heard both Yami and Yugi's voices in that last comment, meaning something was wrong.

"Okay..." she said, confusedly. Joey looked at his friend.

"What's up, Yugi?" Yugi said nothing right then, but played a Beaver Warrior in attack mode.

"Trust me," Yugi said. "Watch- Beaver Warrior, attack his face down monster!" The Beaver Warrior did so, only to reveal a Man-Eater Bug, which destroyed the Beaver Warrior instantly, along with itself.

"Whoa," said Tori. "That would have creamed me for sure..."

//Tell me about it.// Joey nodded.

"Yeah- that was close." Torina looked up at Yugi, a relieved and thankful smile on her face.

"Thanks for the tip, bro." Yugi smiled back.

"No problem, sis." Suddenly, Bakura threw his head back and began to laugh. And laugh loud- it made Tori's stomach turn.

"What do I do, Yugi?" she asked. Before Yugi could reply, Bakura started to speak.

"Your family will be your downfall, Yugi," he said, the smile increasing.

"What are you talking about, Bakura?" Yugi asked, angrily. Bakura chuckled as he put a Magic card- the Change of Heart.

/Oh my God- that's what he brought back from the graveyard./ Yugi heard Tori let out a frightened cry. He looked down at her- her face was covered with terror.

"Yugi!" she cried. "I'm the only one on your side of the field!" Bakura nodded his head like there was no tomorrow.

"Exactly." 

"No!" yelled Yugi. "Bakura, let her alone!" Joey clenched his fists together as a look of pure hate covered his face.

"You sick little..." Suddenly, Tori let out another cry, this time one of complete pain. Joey looked down at the field to see her holding her head in her hands- it looked like she was fighting with herself. Slowly, she walked over to Bakura's side of the field, struggling every step of the way, causing Bakura's smile to widened.

"I now control the Wingweaver."

"Joey!" she said, desperately. "Joey, help me!" There was nothing Joey could do though...

"Don't worry, Tori," he said. "It'll be ok."

"I wouldn't count on that," said Bakura. "Now, Wingweaver- attack Yugi Moto's life points!"

"No!" Tori yelled, still trying to fight the presence inside of her. "I won't do it! **_I WON'T_**!" Suddenly, she let out another blood curdling scream.

"Tori!" cried Yugi. "Bakura, leave her alone!" Bakura then narrowed his eyes a bit, causing Tori to scream in pain again, this time louder than before.

"You have no choice in the matter, Torina" Bakura said. "Now, **DO IT**!" Tori looked up at Yugi, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yugi." she whispered. Yugi nodded back, causing Tori to shift her gaze towards Joey. "Joey... I love you... Harmony blast!" Smoke filled the field, but nothing happened to either player's life points. When the smoke cleared, the field was empty.

"Tori!" yelled Joey. Bakura was laughing his head off until he looked at the field himself.

"What the...?" he yelled. "Where is she?!" Yugi's jaw dropped.

//What is it, aibou? What happened?//

"Tori, no." he said. There was a pause. "She... she sacrificed herself."

"WHAT?" cried Joey. "Why? Why would she do that?" Yugi shook his head.

"She knew that if I lost, she'd be under Bakura's control forever. I guess she'd rather die than remain on a card in his deck." He looked at Bakura. "I hope your happy." Bakura shrugged.

"In a way I am," he replied. "While my move didn't destroy your life points... it did have one desirable effect."

"WHY YOU LITTLE PUNK!" yelled Joey. "I AUGHTA BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" Bakura's eyes narrowed.

"Watch what you say, Wheeler, or you will go the same way." 

"Whatever, Bakura- just you wait..." Yugi held up a hand, silencing Joey, and took a deep breath.

"You will pay for what you've done, Bakura," he said. Bakura simply laughed as he played a monster face down and ended his turn. Yugi drew a card, then played his Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode. "Neo, attack his face down card." Bakura sent his Ancient Elf to the grave yard as Yugi ended his turn. Once again, he only played a monster face down./I will win this duel- Tori may be gone, but I can still free her soul./ Yugi then drew a card- the Dark Witch. 

//You sure you want to play that?// 

/Yes, I'm sure./ Yugi remembered that Tori had given him the card, but played it any way. When the monster appeared on the field, he gasped. Joey looked at him, highly concerned.

"Yuge?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Joey," came the reply. "Does the Dark Witch have red hair?" Joey shook his head.

"...Not...normally..." Yugi took another deep breath.

"Then... why does she now?" Joey gasped- could it be?

"Tori?" The Dark Witch turned to face him- it was indeed Tori.

"Hi Joey!" she said, happily. "Did you miss me?"

//Tori?! How the...?//

/*Hey, I don't ask questions, especially at times like these!*/

"Tori, you nearly scared me to death!" cried Joey. Tori let out a breathy laugh and shook her head.

"Scared you?! I nearly died a second ago... again!" 

"Yeah, but I had to watch!" Bakura let out an angered groan.

"How is she still alive?!" he demanded. "How?!" Yugi began to chuckle- he had a pretty good idea.

"Tori had two favorite cards, remember?" asked Yugi. "When one was destroyed her soul was transferred to the other." Tori smiled.

"Hey, are we gonna finish this or what?" Yugi nodded.

"You better believe it! Neo, attack Bakura's face down card." Neo did as he was told, ironically destroying Bakura's own Neo, the Magic Swordsman. "Rather ironic, I should say," Yugi said with a chuckle. "Now it's your turn, Tori- attack his life points!" Tori nodded.

"You got it Yugi- Black Magic Annihilation!"

****

1050/0

Bakura's life points disappeared. Joey jumped into the air, excitedly.

"Go Tori!" he said. "Alright!" Yugi nodded as Yami came out of the Millennium Puzzle.

"You made a promise, Bakura," he said. "Let her go." Tori nodded then shot an angered look at Bakura.

"Yeah, ya big creep," she said. "Let me go!" Bakura scowled.

"Fine." he said, as his Millennium Ring began to glow. By the time he had finished the sentence, Tori had disappeared from the field and was back in her own body. When she began to stir, the boys rushed to her side. She opened her eyes.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I am back! Yes!" Joey smiled and shook his head.

"Glad to have ya back, Tori-girl," he said. "Although, you did look pretty hot in that Wingweaver costume." Tori instantly began to shake her head.

"Don't go getting any ideas, Joseph Wheeler! I am never wearing anything like that ever again!" There was a pause. "Hey! What about Hikaru?" Suddenly, the Millennia Diamond spirit appeared at her side. Tori smiled happily as she wrapped her arms around the spirit, who instantly returned the embrace.

"I'm right here, aibou," she said. "I'm right here." Yami smiled.

//You have a special girl there, my love.//

//*(Hikaru to Yugi/Tori/Yami) Really? Why's that?*//

//Because when she wraps you in one of her hugs, it makes you feel like the most important person in the world.// Hikaru was about to reply when Tori cut in.

/*Hikaru, did Yami ever call you "Bishoujo?"*/

//*Well, he's called me beautiful before, but never used that exact phrase. Why?*//

/*Just wondering*/ She then looked over at Bakura.

"You be gone all ready- you lost." Bakura scowled.

"I shall depart," he said. "But this won't be the last you've seen of me Yugi."

"Oh, yes it will," said a voice, one that made Tori gasp in fear.

"Uncle Max?!" she cried. Suddenly, he appeared at Bakura's side. They were still in the Shadow Realm- how'd he get here?!

"What the heck?" cried Joey. Pegasus ignored him and looked at Bakura.

"You remember our deal, Bakura," he said. "If you won, you would be relieved of your Hikari- but you lost..." Suddenly, the Millennium Eye began to glow, followed by Bakura falling to the ground. Tori's eyes flared angrily.

"Jerk!" she cried. "What have you done to Ryou!" Pegasus looked at her and smiled.

"The same I should do to you!" Tori's eyes widened, followed by her shielding her face with her arms. "But I won't," he continued. "Your day is coming, Torina Kay Pegasus." With that, he vanished, leaving Tori to wonder where that sudden change of heart came from. She looked at Yugi and Joey.

"That was strange," said Joey. "Even for Pegasus." Tori nodded her agreement.

"I know what you mean, but can we get out of here now? I really want to go home." Yugi smiled and gave a nod.

/Yami, you think you could get us out of here?/


	16. Tori's Spell

Seconds later, they were out of the Shadow Realm and back in the basement. Joey helped Tori up off the ground and held her in a warm embrace. 

"Tori," he whispered. "I thought I'd lost you there." He felt Tori's grip tighten as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"I know- I'm sorry." When he let her go, she went over to Yugi, where she placed a hand on his cheek, below his blackened eye- a reminder of Bakura's threat. A tear rolled down her face as the blue light appeared once again, clearing up the bruise. "Yugi," she said, softly. "I'm so sorry about this." Yugi put up a hand and wiped away her tear.

"It's not your fault, Tori," he replied. "Something like this would have happened, no matter what."

"This wouldn't have happened if I had just stayed with my uncle." Everyone shot her a horrified look.

"Don't you ever think that, Tori!" they cried at the same time. She shook her head to show everyone that she was convinced.

"It's the truth, though. If I had just stayed with Uncle Max..."

"But, if you hadn't gotten away, you wouldn't have met me!" Joey said with a grin. She grinned too, partially because of Yami's silent laughter.

//He's got you there, Bishoujo.//

/*I know- I hate it when he does that.*/

"What about Ryou?" Hikaru asked, kneeling next to the boy. Tori sighed.

"If only Bakura was more like you two... hey! That's it!" She looked over at her companions and grinned. "Come on, let's get him to the Card Shop- I have an idea!"

Once they got back to the shop, Yami and Hikaru left to do their part of Tori's plan. While they were waiting, Tori, Yugi and Joey filled everyone in on what happened- Ryou was still out of it. Ten minutes later, Yami and Hikaru returned- they had gone up to Tori's room shortly after arriving home, but neither they nor Tori would tell why.

"I never knew there were so many places to hide in the Shadow Realm," muttered Yami as he and Hikaru dragged someone, a tied up someone, in through the door. All but Tori looked confused by the third party's presence.

"Great you got him!" Tori said, standing.

"Not in the best of moods, but yes, we found him," Hikaru replied.

"Then lets get started!" Tori said. They cleared some of the furniture out of the way to give her room. "This is gonna take everything I've got, maybe more," she continued, then looked at her family and friends. "If I should pass out or something, just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine." Joey shot her a concerned look.

"What are you planning to do, Tori?" he asked. She shook her head and smiled.

"Don't worry about me," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be all right. Okay- Yami, Hikaru: put him there, next to Ryou- leave some space for me in between." The spirits did as they were told, even though their "friend" was muttering something in Egyptian- Tori had a feeling it wasn't good.

"What now, Bishoujo?" asked Yami. Tori looked over at him and gave a weak smile.

"Now we see if this works."

Tori then took her place, kneeling between the two bodies. She put on hand over Ryou and the other over the second person. She then closed her eyes- as a green light came from her palms, she began to chant.

"Spirit of Evil, with darkness running through- You force me to call upon powers of truth. I can not change you, that is sure- But I can see to it you will hurt this boy no more. This soul you share, with the boy at my side- no longer a tormentor, but now as his guide. Guide him true, guide him well- disobey and feel the wrath of my spell."

Seconds after finishing her chant Tori fell foreword on to the floor, out like a light. As she did so, Ryou woke up.

"Wha...?" he asked, sitting up. "Where am I?" He looked at the girl beside him. "Tori? Oh goodness- what happened?" Then, his eyes shifted to the person... the spirit next to her. "Bakura! What have you done to her?" Bakura got up off the floor, scowling as Yami cut his hands free.

"I've done nothing to that girl," he said, glaring at Yami. "But what has she done to me?" Yami smiled.

"She's made sure that you won't be able to use Ryou against his will any longer," came the reply. "The spell she just cast is one that will torture you if you even think about trying." His smile widened. "The spirits of the Millennium Items are here to guide and protect their aibou's- Tori is making sure you do that." Bakura let out another growl as he looked over at Hikaru.

"It would be your aibou who pulled something like this!" he yelled. "Just as you did all those years ago!" Teá looked at Hikaru.

"What is he talking about?" Hikaru smiled.

"I placed a spell on him" she replied. "One that caused him terrible pain whenever he tried to steal from anyone. It almost cost me my life, but it worked just the same." She turned her attention towards Bakura. "As will my Hikari's spell- she will see that you won't hurt this boy any longer." Bakura let out another scowl before retreating into the Millennium Ring- he'd try to deal with this later... much later. Just then, Tori began to stir.

"Did it work?" she asked, getting up on her hands and knees, struggling to do so- it was clear that she was still worn out. "Please tell me it worked." Joey and Ryou rushed to her side and helped her to her feet. "Ryou?" The boy smiled.

"Yes, Tori," he replied. "I am here... and I thank you." Tori gave a weak smile.

"It worked..." Joey then took her in his arms.

"It worked all right, Tori-girl," he said. "Now let's get you to bed." Tori nodded, and whispered something in his ear before fainting again. Joey chuckled, then looked at Yugi.

"She said to make sure the door's locked."


	17. Sorcerer's Duel

Torina Pegasus. The mere sound of her name disgusted Bakura and angered him as well. That little girl had caused him enough trouble- there had to be something he could do, a way to get even. He couldn't use Ryou to do it of course- her blasted curse prevented that, but there had to be another route he could take, another possibility. Wait a second... there was a way. He smiled- this was perfect.

"Moto residence, this is Tori." Tori, who had picked up the phone shortly after it stared to ring, was rather surprised by the voice on the other end.

"Miss Peg, this is Seto Kaiba. Is my brother there?"

"You know, Seto," Tori replied. "You can call me Tori." There was a brief pause.

"Is he there or not?" Tori let out a sigh.

"No, Mokuba's not here- is he supposed to be?"

"When I returned from the office I found a note from him saying he was going to see you- that was over an hour ago." Tori bit her lip.

"I'm on my way." With that, Tori hung up the phone and slipped into her Wingweaver jacket, just as Yugi walked into the room.

"What's up, Tori?" he asked. "Where are you going?" Tori quickly explained about Mokuba and started to walk out the door. "Hold up, Tori- I'm coming too!"

The two left a note for Grandpa, along with Tori's cell phone number so he could call if he wanted, and headed to the Kaiba mansion. On the way there, Tori phoned Tristen, Tea and Joey- Tristen and Tea said they would meet Tori and Yugi on the way to Kaiba's place, but Tristen said he didn't know where Joey was. Joey had moved in with Tristen and his family a few weeks ago, right after Yugi's kidnapping. Tori had been told it was because of his father, but not much else- she didn't want to know anyway. But the thought of both he and Mokuba missing created a pit in her stomach.

//*You going to be all right, Tori?*//

/*Not until I know they're both safe.*/ Hikaru let out a sigh- Tori was in one of her moods again, a mood that indicated she was angry and scared at the same time. She was most likely going to end up hurt after this. How serious it would be, whether it would be physical or emotional, Hikaru didn't know- but it was bound to happen. Since becoming friends with Yugi, Joey, Tea and Tristen, Tori had always placed their safety above her own. It was a trait Hikaru admired, but there were times that she really hated it. This was one of those times.

//She's pulling a Tori again, eh my love?// Hikaru stifled a chuckle- he just had to remind her of that, didn't he? 

As previously stated, Tori often put her friends' safety above her own, even though she knew it could prove costly on her part- more often than Hikaru liked. Yami now referred to this as 'pulling a Tori,' for Tori did it more often than anyone else- jumping into an icy river to save Yugi; placing the spell on Bakura to protect Ryou; helping Mokuba escape from the Duelist Kingdom Palace so he could find his brother- she had done them all without the slightest thought to herself. If she had thought of herself, Tori wouldn't have put her hand through a glass cabinet when she found out Yugi had been kidnapped by Pegasus and Bakura.

Hikaru suddenly let out a gasp- Bakura. What if he...? She came out of the Millennia Diamond and stood in front of Tori and Yugi, arms crossed in front of her. The two kids stopped in their tracks and Yami came out of the Millennium Puzzle, just as confused as his companions.

"Hikaru, what are you doing?!" cried Tori. "We have to get over to Kaiba's- Mokuba could be in serious trouble here!" Hikaru shook her head, then pointed to Tori's cell phone.

"Call Ryou," she said firmly. "Ask him where Bakura is." Tori let out a gasp as well- she couldn't be serious! Could she? Tori pulled out her cell phone and dialed Ryou's number. Seconds later, she heard the boy's kind, familiar voice.

"Hello?" he asked. In spite of the situation, Tori let out a chuckle- the sound of Ryou's voice always did that to her- it sounded so innocent.

"Hello Ryou," she said pleasantly. "How are you today?" There was a pause. "Ryou, is everything all right?"

"I've been expecting your call, Tori," he said sadly. "I have a note here for you... from Bakura." Tori took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

"What does the note say?"

"It- it says: 'Torina: If you wish to see Mokuba or your darling Joey ever again, meet me tonight at the pier- dark. See you then.' That- that's all it says." Another pause. "Tori, I am so sorry," Ryou told her. "I went out and left him at home... I didn't know he would..."

"It's all right, Ryou," she replied. "But I would like for you to be somewhere other than your home tonight. Bakura will not be in the best of moods when I am done with him and even with his curse taken into consideration, I don't want to risk him hurting you. Stay with Yugi and I tonight, okay? And if you would, please tell Grandpa that we'll be home late."

"All right, Tori- I will. See you later."

"Not if I see you first." Ryou let out a laugh.

"Hey Tori?" he asked.

"Yes, Ryou?"

"Be careful." Ryou heard Tori let out a light, but cold laugh.

"Aren't I always?" Tori hung up the phone and looked up at the sky- it would be dark soon. She then looked at her companions, which now included Tea and Tristen, and let out a sigh. "Tea, Tristen," she said. "I need you two to go see Seto Kaiba- tell him to go with you to the docks as soon as he can." Tea nodded.

"You got it Tori." As Tea and Tristen rushed off towards Kaiba's, Tori's gaze shifted over to Yugi and Yami. 

"You guys come with me," she said. Her face was emotionless- Yugi never recalled seeing her like that before.

"Is everything all right, Tori?" asked Hikaru. Tori looked over at Hikaru and shook her head.

"Hikaru," she said sadly. "Bakura has Mokuba and Joey and I've got a pretty good idea of how I can beat him." Tori's expression suddenly changed- it became angry and serious. "If I want to save them, both of them, I'm going to have to do something I've never done before- I'm going to have to tap into the full powers of the Millennia Diamond."

"Mokuba! Come on Kid, snap out of it! Wake up!" Mokuba shook his head and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around the room- it was a dark room, with a high ceiling and one window high on the wall. Mokuba tried to sit up, but a gentle hand held him down. "Take it easy, Mokuba- I don't want you blacking out again." Mokuba shifted his gaze until it landed on someone who looked rather relieved to see that the boy had woken up.

"Joey?" asked Mokuba, watching the older boy nod. "Joey, what's going on? Where are we?"

"I don't know," Joey replied. "Are you all right? What happened?" Mokuba shook his head.

"I- I was headin' over to Tori's house," he said. "I hadn't seen her in a while, so I thought I'd drop in and surprise her. B-but, someone jumped me before I got to her place- they hit me and I guess I blacked out. The next thing I knew, you were waking me up. How about you, Joey? How'd you get here?" Joey shook his head and gave a slight grin.

"Pretty much the same story, Kid," he said. "I was headin' over to see Tori with those..." He nodded his head towards a bouquet of pink chrysanthemums that were lying on the floor. "They're her favorite. Anyway, I was almost there when something hit me in the back of the head." Joey bit his lip and closed his eyes, as if he was trying to remember something. "Before I blacked out, I saw Bakura lookin' down at me. He's got something, if not everything to do with this." Mokuba let out a gasp.

"Are you sure it was Bakura?" he asked. "He wouldn't do things like that- he's to nice." Joey sighed- Mokuba didn't know about the difference between Ryou and Bakura. Explaining it would take some time- time that he was afraid they didn't have. And as he heard a door open behind them, he knew that time was up.

"What do you mean, Tori?" asked Yugi. He and Yami were rather shocked by her last statement. Tori let out a sigh.

"Other than talking to Hikaru," she said. "I've never used any of the Millennia Diamond's powers, let alone all of them- but to beat Bakura, I think I'm gonna have to."

"Bishoujo," said Yami. "Why haven't you used the powers of the Millennia Diamond?" Tori shook her head.

"I was afraid to, Yami," she told him. "I knew Hikaru wouldn't hurt me, but... I was afraid of Uncle Max- if he'd found out about her, he'd have taken her away, I know it! Hikaru was all I had back then... I-I couldn't lose her, Yami- I just couldn't!" Yami gave her a soft smile.

"It's all right, Bishoujo- I understand." He paused. "We should be getting to the docks- we don't want to keep Bakura waiting."

"Yeah," said Yugi. "Who knows what he'll do if we're late." Tori shot him an angered look.

"Yugi," she replied. "I love you and everything, but I really don't need to hear that right now." Yugi gave her an ashamed smile.

"Sorry Tori."

They arrived at the pier a few minutes later. As they walked past a 'U' shaped dock, Tori scanned the area for anything that might lead to Joey or Mokuba. Seconds later, she completely froze.

"Tori, what's wrong?" asked Yugi. Her arm quivered as she pointed up in the air. Yugi followed her finger and saw just what she was talking about. Two large construction cranes, one on each side of the 'U,' had their arms stretched out over the water. Dangling from each arm was a small cage- one cage held Mokuba, the other held Joey. Both boys were bound with handcuffs and gagged with a piece of duct tape. The chains on each pair of handcuffs were wrapped around one of the bars of the cage- if those cages went into the water...

"Well Torina," said a voice. "Seems hopeless now doesn't it? Two people you care for, facing certain death." Bakura suddenly stepped out of the shadows, grinning like a kid with a new toy. "Sounds so calming, doesn't it Tori?" Tori clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, the Millennia Diamond began to glow and shake violently. Seconds later, Yugi and Yami sensed a strange new power, radiating from Tori. That's when they noticed something- Hikaru was still standing by their side.

"Hikaru?" asked Yugi. "What are you... but if you... and Tori?" Hikaru shook her head.

"In order to fully tap into the powers of the Millennia Diamond," she said. "Tori must banish me from it." Yami and Yugi gave her a confused look. "I'm the protector of the Diamond's powers, not the bearer. So if Tori wants to use the powers, I must be out of the way." She looked at Tori. "I just pray she doesn't hurt herself."

Tori slowly walked over to Bakura, her eyes locking with his. Yugi didn't think he'd ever seen Tori like this before- so serious...

"Let them go, Bakura," she said. "I'm the one you want- the two of them have nothing to do with this." Bakura let out a chuckle then nodded his head towards the two cages.

"Choose between them then," he said bluntly. "One goes home safe and the other dies a slow death." Tori remained emotionless as she stared at him.

"Forget it," she said. "I won't choose between them- you can't make me." Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have another suggestion then, Torina?" The girl gave a slight nod, then snapped her fingers. 

Suddenly, a purple light formed at her feet and started to move up her body. As it did so, Tori's attire began to change. By the time the light vanished, she was no longer wearing her customary jeans and t-shirt. She was now wearing the Dark Magician's outfit with the neon green staff from her uncle in her hand. Bakura chuckled.

"A Sorcerer's Duel, eh Torina?" he asked. "Are you sure you have the power, let alone the stomach, for something like that?"

As Bakura tried to scare Tori, Joey looked on from above, ashamed at himself. First, he had been captured so easily and was now in this cage because Bakura had threatened to hurt Mokuba if he hadn't gone in. And now, Tori was getting herself into a Sorcerer's Duel- he wasn't quite sure what that was, but had a feeling it wasn't good. And speaking of Tori, she looked so... cold. It broke his heart just looking at her. The warm, caring Tori, the Tori that he had fallen in love with, seemed to be gone- after this, would she ever be the same?

"That's why she needed to tap into the Millennia Diamond's powers, isn't it?" Yugi asked Hikaru. "She knew her powers wouldn't be enough to defeat him." Hikaru didn't speak- merely nodded. Yugi was right, Tori knew her powers wouldn't be enough, but that didn't mean the powers of the Millennia Diamond would be.

"Enough with the intimidation," Tori said, angrily. "The rules are simple- anything goes. If I win, my friends and I go free."

"And what if I win?" asked Bakura, a sly smile forming on his face. "Will I get what I want?" Tori gave a nod. "You know what that is, don't you Torina?" Another nod. "You mean if I win, I get your soul?" Everyone but Tori let out a gasp, especially Joey and Mokuba.

"No, Tori!" Mokuba yelled, his cries muffled by the tape on his mouth. "You can't do that, you just can't!"

"Hikaru," said Yugi, "she's not serious, is she? I mean, Tori won't really accept those terms, will she?" Before Hikaru could respond, Tori answered the question for him. She held out her hand and Bakura clapped his into it.

"Deal," she said, using the same cold, firm tone of voice she'd been using all night. "Let's do this." 

Without warning, a red fiery light formed in Bakura's palm and he shot it at Tori's chest. 

"Crimson Flame!" Tori narrowly escaped it, quickly rising into the air when it was mere inches from her body. She then launched a counter attack, slamming her staff into the back of Bakura's head before preparing to fire a blast of her own. She put her arms out to the side, then brought them out in front of her and put them together, so the bottoms of her wrists were touching and her hands made a symmetrical design.

"Harmony Blast!" A bright blue light shot out of Tori's palms and hit Bakura in the stomach, sending him flying.

"Yugi!" The young boy turned around to see Tea, Tristen and Seto Kaiba running towards them.

"Kaiba!" he yelled, then pointed to the cranes. "Can you run these things?"

"Yeah, why?" came the reply.

"Because we have to get Mokuba and Joey down before they get caught in the crossfire."

"What crossfire?" asked Tristen. Suddenly, Bakura fired another Crimson Flame, this time at the group on the dock. After letting out a gasp, Tori teleported from where she was to right in front of her friends. She then put her staff out in front of her and quickly spun it around, as if it was a baton, reflecting the blast back at Bakura.

Joey continued to watch the battle from his cage and was greatly surprised at how aggressive Tori was being. As the fight raged on, he could swear that he could hear what she was thinking... and it wasn't good.

"That was for the childhood I didn't get," she thought as her staff rose in the air. "For Joey, Ryou, Mokuba, all my friends, all my pain, all my anger and all my sorrows!" She pointed the staff at Bakura. "And this is for me!" 

"Dark Magic Attack!" she yelled. The attack was launched and hit Bakura square in the chest. As the old Tomb raider went flying, Tori looked over at her friends. "Get out of here, now!" she yelled, then focused her attention back towards Bakura. "You all ready have two of my friends- leave the rest out of this." With that, she sped towards him and began another attack, leaving her comrades in awe.

"Come on!" Hikaru urged. "Let's get Mokuba and Joey down from there!"

As the fight continued above, the group rushed over to the crane closest to them- the one that held Mokuba's cage. Seto jumped into the cab of the crane and fired it up. As soon as the cage was safe on the dock, everyone got busy looking for something to get it open. Tristen had managed to find a crowbar lying around and brought it directly to Seto, who used it to free Mokuba. Seconds later, Mokuba had his arms wrapped around Seto and was crying.

"It's all right Mokuba," Seto said softly. "You're safe now- no one is gonna hurt ya anymore." Mokuba sniffed, then looked up at Seto and wiped his eyes.

"Big brother," he said. "We have to save Tori- if she loses..." Seto shook his head, then looked up at the duel above.

"Something tells me that's not going to happen." He smiled. "Come on- let's get Wheeler down from there."

Bakura was weak- he hadn't expected the girl to be so strong, especially since Maximillion Pegasus had drained her of most of her powers. Granted, Bakura knew that Torina slowly regained her powers with each act of kindness she was shown, but even that wouldn't be enough to restore all her powers so quickly. 

"I've toyed with you long enough, Bakura," Tori said loudly. "It's time to put an end to this Duel." She began to chant: "I went easy on you, that was my mistake- but it is one that I shall never remake. Your evil nature I can not cure, but your hurting of innocents will be no more. Try another of your wrongful deeds and the Shadow Realm will be awaiting thee."

Just as Tori finished the incantation, she was sent flying towards a nearby building by a Crimson Flame that Bakura had managed to fire before the end of her spell. Her head slammed into the corner, prompting her to cry out in pain before falling onto the dock with a loud crash. As she did so, Hikaru went back into the Millennia Diamond, relieving Tori of her new powers.

Meanwhile, her friends had gotten to the other side of the 'U' shaped dock. Kaiba was in the cab of the second crane, working on getting Joey down. He had just started to move the crane's arm, when Tori slammed into the building. Startled by the crash and Tori's painful cries, Kaiba accidentally jerked the crane's arm to a stop. The wire that held up Joey's cage jerked as well- somehow, the cage came off of the hook and plummeted into the water. Upon hearing the splash, Tori's head shot up and she looked towards the water.

"JOEY!" She struggled to get up, but when she finally did she ran towards the edge of the dock and dove into the ocean.


	18. Bloodlines

Tori's eyes stung in the salt water, but that was the least of her problems- she had to find Joey and she had to do it quickly... further more, she had to figure out how she was going to save him.

Joey had managed to take a deep breath before hitting the water and held it as he sank to the bottom. He wasn't sure how long he could hold his breath, though- could hold it until someone came after him? Seconds later, he saw someone enter the water and swim towards him. It was Tori- she swam to the cage and got to his side. She ripped the duct tape off of Joey's mouth and pressed her lips to his, breathing air into his lungs. She then gave him a reassuring smile and swam back towards the surface. Joey watched her as she swam away and smiled- she was back.

Tori broke through the top of the water, gasping for air. She then looked towards her companions.

"Get me something!" she yelled. "I need to get that cage open." As Yugi rushed around to the other side of the dock, to grab the crowbar they had used to free Mokuba, Tori took a deep breath and went back under the water. She swam back towards Joey and was relieved to see he was still conscious. She breathed more air into him, before darting back to the surface. When she arrived, Yugi had the crowbar.

"Tori!" he yelled. "Catch!" Yugi chucked the crowbar, but not far enough- it landed about two yards in front of her and began to sink. Tori swam to where the crowbar had hit the water and dived under after it. By this time, the crowbar had hit bottom and in the dead of night, it was hard for Tori to see anything, let alone a crowbar. She was forced to rely on her sense of touch- she felt around the ocean floor, her hands getting scraped on rocks, pinched by crabs and dozens of other things until she finally found what she was looking for.

Without taking time to go up for air, Tori swam over to the cage and was horrified by what she saw- Joey had passed out. She hurried over to the cage and began work on getting Joey out. She started on the handcuffs, putting the crowbar between the bar and the chains on the cuffs. After pulling on the bar, the chain broke, freeing Joey's hands. Next, she went to the cage door and proceeded to work on the lock. Her lungs felt like they were ready to explode, but she wasn't about to leave Joey again. She slammed the crowbar into the lock and gave it one good jerk- the lock broke, Tori ripped open the door and reached in for Joey. Seconds later, she pulled him to the surface.

"Oh my God!" yelled Tea. "She's got him!" Tori dragged Joey over to the dock, where Tristen and Kaiba pulled him out of the water as Yami and Hikaru helped Tori. Seconds after getting out of the water, Tori was back at Joey's side, this time giving him CPR, while Tea used her cell phone to call 911. 

Tori pressed on Joey's chest ten times before breathing two breaths into him, pausing a moment between each breath. She kept doing this until Joey began to cough- water came spurting out of his mouth as Tori helped him sit up. Seconds later, he looked over at her.

"Tori?" he asked. "Are you all right?" She was about to say she was fine when she suddenly felt dizzy. "Tori?!" She didn't hear him say another word- she passed out in his arms.

That's when Joey got a look at the back of her head- it was busted wide open with blood gushing from it. Joey remembered that Tori had slammed into a building before he went into the water.

"Tori-girl," he whispered as he got to his feet. "Hang in there, Tori-girl." He began to stagger as he walked towards the approaching ambulance. He nearly fell over, but was caught by Seto Kaiba.

"Take it easy, Wheeler," he said in his normal tone of voice. "You're not gonna do that girl any good by getting yourself hurt- especially after she risked her life to save you." Joey looked up at Seto and smiled- he actually smiled at him.

"Thanks Kaiba."

Joey rode in the ambulance with Tori, holding her hand the entire time. The paramedics were surprised she was still alive- she had lost enough blood that would kill a normal person.

"Tori's far from normal," Joey had thought. What kind of a normal person would risk their life like Tori did- first the Sorcerer's Duel, then placing a second, stronger curse on Bakura and finally diving in the water to save him. What kind of a normal person would do that? He gave her hand a squeeze.

"You're gonna be all right, Tori-girl," he whispered. "You'll be all right." 

They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later and Tori was rushed to the emergency room. Yugi and the rest of the crew arrived moments after that, where they found Joey in the waiting room.

"Joey!" called Yugi. "Joey is she all right?" Joey looked up at his best friend and shook his head.

"She ain't out of the operating room yet," he replied. "The doc's say she's lucky to be alive..." Joey wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Stupid Bakura... why'd he have to..."

"Moto? Is there a Solomon Moto here?" Everyone looked to the door that led from the waiting room to the operating room, where a doctor seemed to be looking for Grandpa.

"I'm Solomon Moto," Grandpa said, stepping foreword. 

"Mr. Moto, I'm Doctor Turner, your- your, um..."

"Granddaughter," everyone but Seto and Mokuba replied. The doctor was taken aback, but quickly recovered.

"Yes, well, your granddaughter has been assigned to my care."

"How is Tori, Doctor?" asked Teá. Doctor Turner shook his head.

"She's lost a lot of blood," he said sadly. "Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but in Torina's case..." He took a deep breath. "Torina's blood type is one that is usually rather difficult to come by..."

"What are ya sayin', Doc?" asked Joey. "You can't save her or what?"

"I didn't say that," Dr. Turner replied. "What I am saying is that it might be difficult to find a blood donor for Torina." 

"What type of blood does she have?" asked Tristen.

"O negative." Suddenly, Grandpa began to laugh. "Is something funny, Mr. Moto?"

"You won't have to look far for a donor, Dr. Tuner," he replied. Yugi looked up at his grandfather excitedly.

"Grandpa," he said. "Are you saying you have her blood type?" Grandpa shook his head.

"_I _don't, Yugi. But you do." Yugi let out a gasp, causing his grandfather's smile to widen. "It would seem that you and Tori were destined to be related." Yugi smiled back, then looked over at the doctor.

"How soon can we get started?" Dr. Turner pointed down the hallway that led towards Tori's room.

"Right this way..." Before Dr. Turner could finish his sentence, Yugi was halfway down the hallway, asking the doctor what the devil he was waiting for. Dr. Turner shook his head and followed him into Tori's room.

Tori was barely awake when Yugi walked into the room and her eyes widened when she saw him

"Yugi," she said, her voice a bit horse. "Is Joey... okay?" Yugi walked to her side and gave a nod.

"He's gonna be fine, Tori," he replied. Tori smiled and gave a nod. "How about you, sis? You gonna be all right?" The girl's smile faded. "Tori?"

"They tell me I'm gonna be fine," she said. "But there's something they're not telling me, I know it." She looked away. "I think this may be it, Yugi."

"No, Tori!" cried Yugi. "You mustn't think like that." He put his fingers on her chin and turned her face towards him. Her cheeks were stained with tears- she honestly believed that she was going to die. "Tori, you have a rare blood type, type O negative. They don't have any in stock, but the doctor's have found a donor... me." Tori let out a gasp.

"You... you're..." Yugi nodded and Tori's smile widened. "Yugi, promise me one thing?"

"Anything." Tori's wide smile became a sly one.

"If Major League Baseball calls, don't answer- you can't throw to save your life."


	19. Spirit

Quickly, the machines were set up- Yugi was on one bed with an IV in his arm, Tori was in her bed with an IV in her arm and they were both connected to the machine in the middle. The blood slowly began to transfer from Yugi to Tori. It took less time then they expected, but they both discovered moving really wasn't the best idea. Until they stabilized a bit they would be really dizzy- at least, that's what they thought the doctor had said. Either way, Yugi would be going home that night and Tori would follow in a couple of days. Tori's reaction: "Yippee-Skippy."

"Miss Peg?" It was a few days later when Tori looked up from her hospital bed to see Seto Kaiba standing in the doorway of her room. He hesitated a bit before walking inside. "I was told that Bakura tried to force you to choose between Joey and Mokuba," he continued. "But you refused and risked your life to save them both. Not many people would do that." Tori smiled.

"I couldn't choose between them," she replied. "Your little brother was my first friend and Joey... well, you know. Besides, he would never forgive me if I chose him over Mokuba." Seto didn't respond immediately- the comment about Wheeler took him by surprise.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you, Miss Peg," he said finally. "If there's ever anything I could do..."

"Actually, Seto there's something you could do for me right now." Seto raised an eyebrow as Tori's smile changed to a sly grin. "You could start calling me Tori." Before Seto could reply, his cell phone rang. 

"I have to be going," he replied, walking towards the door. "I hope you feel better soon. Goodbye... Tori." With that, Seto answered his phone and walked out the door. Tori shook her head.

"Finally."

****

Two Weeks Later...

Yugi glanced up the stairs, waiting for his sister to come down. Sister- Yugi smiled at that word. He could now say that and it would technically be true. He and Tori were now blood siblings of sorts: he had given her a pint and a half of his own blood after all. But that didn't explain why she was still upstairs. Hikaru had come down a little while ago, but it looked like Tori wasn't planning on it. Yugi shook his head and went over to Hikaru.

"Hey Hikaru?" he asked. She looked up- the look on his face told her what he was about to ask.

"Yes, Yugi?" she replied.

"Why hasn't Tori come down yet?" Hikaru looked a bit nervous- Tori would most likely kill her for this.

"Ah, well... today's her birthday, but she's still asleep." Yugi gave her a confused look.

"Her birthday?" he asked. Hikaru nodded. "But, why is she still asleep? Shouldn't she be down here with us, celebrating? How old is she?"

"She's sixteen, Yugi, but she hasn't been too fond of her birthday since her fifth. Her birthdays with Pegasus were never the best..." She looked a bit sad, causing Yugi to frown- knowing Pegasus, those birthdays were anything but pleasant. Then, he smiled.

"Well, then," he said. "We'll have to make sure she has a great one this year!" Hikaru smiled. This boy was certainly an ambitious one.

"What do you have in mind, Yugi?"

"Let's get everyone over here- then we'll go from there."

Tori would have slept all day if her dreams would have allowed her- well, the pleasant dreams did allow her. Dreams of the last birthday she shared with her beloved parents... and the uncle who used to love her just as much.

"Happy Birthday, dear Torina!" Ariana and Ricardo sang. "Happy Birthday to you." The just turned five-year-old Torina giggled excitedly as she opened her eyes to see a beautiful birthday cake in front of her... and two faces at the end of the table. Her jaw dropped as an excited gasp came out.

"Uncle Max! Aunt Cecilia!" Tori rushed down to the end of the table into the open arms of her awaiting relatives. "It's you!" she said, happily. "It's really you- your home!" Maximillion Pegasus smoothed down the girl's hair as she held him and his wife tight.

"Torina, my dear," whispered Cecilia. "That's a little much." Tori instantly let go and looked into her aunt's beautiful face- it looked so pale and weak, breaking Tori's heart.

"Are you okay, Aunt Cecilia?" she asked, innocently. Cecilia nodded, but Tori could see that her uncle's face had a trace of pain in it- it was worse than what she was letting on. Before Tori could say another word, Maximillion pulled a package out from behind his back.

"Come along, Torina dear," he said. "Open your gift." Tori wasted no time in opening the small rectangular box she was handed. Her eyes widened as she saw what was in side.

"What are these, Uncle Max?" she asked, revealing the contents of the box- a deck of cards.

"This is something my company is working on," he replied. "It's a card game I call Duel Monsters- I thought you might like it." Tori nodded as she flipped through the deck.

"Hey!" she cried, reveling a card to her family. "He has my staff!" The card was the Dark Toon Magician.

"Yes, that's a very special card." Maximillion flipped through the deck until he found another card. "The Dark Toon Magician can only be summoned when this is on the field- the Toon World Card."

"Are there other Toon monsters?"

"Yes- you and I are the only ones who have a set... well, you are the only one with a Dark Toon Magician, but I believe they're a bit too powerful for too many people to have." Suddenly, Cecilia cleared her throat and handed Torina another box. This one contained a Dark Magician's outfit, much like the one on Tori's card.

"I made it myself," Cecilia said, proudly. "To go with your staff." Tori held the outfit up to her chest.

"Aunt Cecilia, I love it! Thank you so much!"

All too soon, the memory of her fifth birthday led into the memory of her seventh birthday... this one was a lot less pleasant...

Tori woke up early, remembering what day it was. Considering her last birthday however, she wasn't sure it was such a good thing. Her birthday always seemed to put Uncle Max in a bad mood and he always took his bad moods out on her. She got dressed and hesitantly headed down for breakfast.

She looked around- Uncle Max wasn't down yet so she was debating whether or not to go back upstairs before he came in... but then, it was too late. Twenty minutes later, she was running upstairs. She collapsed on her bed and began to cry. Hikaru instantly came out of the Millennia Diamond.

"Aibou, what happened?" she asked, scooping her into a hug.

"What did I do to make him hate me?" she sobbed, hiding her face as best she could.

"Oh my Hikari, it was nothing you did," Hikaru said, hugging her tighter. "You must never believe that! Now, let me see what he did." Tori reluctantly sat back. She had a split lip, her cheek was bruised and she had finger marks on her arm. Hikaru let out a string of Egyptian curses under her breath, all directed at Maximillion Pegasus as she started to heal the damage. That was cut short, however, when footsteps forced her to go back into the Diamond.

Pegasus opened the door, tossed in a box and left. Slowly Torina picked it up, as Hikaru came back out. 

"What is it?" she asked. Tori shrugged and opened it to see what was inside. It looked like a card... it said Wingweaver on the top and had a picture of a six-winged fairy on it. Tori looked at Hikaru.

"What is this?" she asked, bewildered.

"I don't know," Hikaru said, studying it, "It looks sort of familiar... But I can't place it..."

Torina suddenly felt something tickle her nose and instantly woke up. Joey was standing over her, smiling with a feather in his hand.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said with a chuckle. "How are you feeling? Any better?" Tori gave a nod as she sat up.

"A bit- what time is it?"

"Almost one o'clock. You plan on getting up?" Tori smiled and got out of bed. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Tori was downstairs moments later, expecting to see the rest of her friends and getting hit with twenty questions on why she'd slept so late... but there was just Joey.

"Where'd everybody go?" she asked.

"According to the note they left," he replied. "They had to go run some errands and couldn't wait for me to get here or you to wake up... And I'm guessing by the absence of the Millennia Diamond around your neck that Hikaru went with them." He smiled. "So what do you say we blow this Popsicle stand and go have some fun?" Tori smiled back as she brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Sounds like a plan to me- where we gonna go?"

"It's a surprise." Joey said slyly, increasing Tori's smile.

"I like surprises."

"Wait, Joey- I have to go in here." Joey looked at Tori with a confused expression on his face- they were on their way to Joey's surprise location, when Tori stopped in front of a shoe store. "You don't have to come in," she continued. "I'll be right out." Before Joey could say a word, Tori disappeared into the store. Moments later, she came back out- her sneakers and socks were in her hand and on her feet were a pair of light blue slip-on shoes with red flowers embroidered on them.

"They're nice," Joey said, whole-heartedly. "But, what made you get them now? We coulda come back later." Tori shook her head.

"I don't know," she replied, then gave a laugh. "They just called my name." Anyway, she thought, it's my sixteenth birthday- I should get myself something.

Tori looked around, wondering why Joey had brought her here- the Domino City Animal shelter. She looked Joey and gave her a questioning look.

"What are we doing here?" she asked him. Joey gave her a sly smile.

"We're just gonna visit the animals," he said. "You know these poor little guys stay in their cages all the time and they don't get out much." Tori smiled.

"And you thought we should go and play with them for a little while, eh?" Joey gave a nod as his smile widened.

"Yeah... good idea?" Tori shook her head.

"No- it's a great idea. Let's go." The pair walked into the building and were instantly surrounded by the sounds of excited cats and dogs.

"Hello," said a woman, walking over to them. "My name is Faith- can I help you with something?" Joey looked at her and gave a wink, which escaped Tori's eye.

"My name's Joey," he said. "And this is Tori. We're just looking ma'am, but we thought we could help out by maybe taking out one of the dogs or something." Faith smiled and gave a nod.

"That would be wonderful- follow me, please." She led Joey and Tori through a door that took them to the dog cages. The dogs barked excitedly, causing Tori to put her hands over her ears.

"My," she said. "It certainly is loud in here!" Just as she said that, a six week old puppy, who had been laying quietly on his pillow, perked his ears up. "Are they always this loud?" As Tori continued to speak, the puppy jumped up off his pillow, rushed to the door of his cage, put his paws up and began to bark, as if he was trying to get Tori's attention. Tori didn't know what made her notice that particular bark and look to her left, but she was glad she did- the puppy had finally gotten her attention. And she had all of his.

It was a small puppy- tanish brown fur with one black paw, short floppy ears, bright green eyes and a tail that was wagging a mile a minute. As Tori knelt down in front of the cage, she and the puppy just stared at each other for a moment before Faith opened the door and the puppy sprang out onto Tori, taking her by surprise and knocking her down. As he began licking her face, Tori just giggled and scratched behind his ears.

"Well, well, Tori," said Faith. "I've never seen that pup react like that before." She turned her attention towards Joey. "The poor pup lost it's mother shortly after he was born. He's been so dormant, we thought we might lose him as well." Tori was still on the ground giggling with the happy puppy still licking her face.

"Lose this guy?" she asked between giggles. "No way- he's got too much spirit!" Joey smiled.

"Spirit," he said. "Nice call, Tori-girl." Faith nodded her agreement.

"A perfect match if I ever saw one." As she said that, for some reason Tori found herself flashing back to the day she first met Hikaru.

It was about a week after her parents funeral and Torina was just beginning to learn what a cruel person her uncle was. He hadn't seriously hurt her yet- minor scratches and bruises was all. She didn't know what had caused the drastic change in her uncle, but if she had any money, she'd bet it all on his Millennium Eye. There was something wrong with that thing, she just knew it. Now, as she sat on the bed in the room which was now hers, crying, she put her hand to the necklace her father had given her the night he died- the Millennia Diamond.

"Please," she whispered. "Please, isn't there anyone out there? Can't someone help me? Doesn't anyone care anymore?" As her tears intensified, they fell on the Egyptian charm, causing the Millennia Diamond began to shake and glow a bright yellow. Seconds later, Torina felt a pair of arms wrap around her and the soft hum of a song filled her ears. Tori looked up and was completely surprised at what she saw. An older version of herself was staring down at her, with a kindly smile.

"Hello there," she said. "Are you feeling any better, young one?" Tori nodded, still looking amazed.

"Who, who are you?" she asked. "Where did you come from? Does my uncle know you're here? If he doesn't, then you'll be in big trouble..."

"Calm down, young one- your uncle doesn't need to know I'm here. Watch." Suddenly, the woman disappeared, leaving Torina alone.

"Don't leave me!" cried Tori. "Come back, please!" The woman reappeared. "What's your name?"

"My name is Hikaru- I am here to help you Torina. And I promise, I will never leave you alone again, unless I really have to."

"Will you be taking this one then, Joey?" Tori looked up at him, total surprise expressed on her face. Did Faith just say what she thought she just said? Joey looked at Tori, smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I do believe we'll be taking Spirit home with us," he replied.

"But, Joey," said Tori. "What about Grandpa?" His smiled widened.

"I talked to Gramps before I went home last night- both he and Yugi agreed that a pet is just what you need... provided that you take care of him." Tori looked at him wide-eyed- she hadn't a clue about what to say... well, maybe she did.

"Not take care of this little guy?" she cried, as she got up off the ground, taking the puppy with her. "No way! Come on, Spirit- let's go home!"


	20. Birthday Party

A little while later, Joey, Tori and Spirit, lopping along at Tori's side, reached the card shop. Once they headed inside, Joey led Tori into the living room. 

"SURPRISE!!!!" Tori stood in the doorway in shock. There were streamers and balloons all over the place along with a large banner reading "Happy Birthday, Tori!" Yugi, Yami, Hikaru, Tea, Tristen, Ryou and Grandpa were there, smiling brightly. As Spirit barked excitedly at all the new faces around him, Joey noticed that Bakura was there as well, off in a corner, glaring at Tori. She didn't care though- she was too shocked.

"You- But- Wow..." she got out. 

"Happy Birthday!" Joey said giving her a kiss. 

"You guys did this... for me?" she asked.

"It's not someone else's birthday today, is it?" Gramps said, pretending to look around. They laughed.

"Come on, open your presents!" Joey said, pushing her toward the coffee table. She sat down and Joey handed her the top one. It was from Ryou. She opened it and grinned- it was a Wingweaver plushy.

"I remembered the one you gave me," he said. "And I just happened to notice this one."

"Thanks Ryou!" she cried, showing them. Bakura rolled his eyes from his place against the wall. "Oh, you too, Bakura."

"Don't look at me," he said immediately, "I'm only here because he made me, and I heard there was cake." Joey shook his head and handed Tori the next gift- one from him. It was a picture of him, taken a few weeks ago. In the corner he had written 'Aishiteru, my Koi' (I love you, my love). She hugged him, and he blushed slightly.

"You're welcome," he grinned, then handed her the next gift. It was from Seto and Mokuba.

"New type of duel disks," Seto explained once the gift was opened, causing Tori to grin broadly.

"Cool!" she exclaimed happily. "I'll have to try these out later." A slight grin formed on the young executive's face. Seto had wanted a better way of repaying her for saving Mokuba, something more than just calling her by her first name. So when he and Mokuba received the last minute invitation to this party, Seto knew this would be a way. Yugi had told him on the phone that gifts weren't necessary, but not only did Mokuba insist, Seto wanted to give her the gift. "Thank you, Seto, Mokuba!" The two boys nodded, Mokuba smiling brightly.

"You're welcome, Tori!" Next came Tea's gift. 

"Thanks Tea!" Tori cried as soon as she saw it- a CD of her favorite songs. "We're putting this in later, no doubt about!" Next came Tristen's gift. Joey raised an eyebrow when he saw it.

"Frosted animal crackers!" exclaimed Tori. "Yum!" Joey turned to Tristen.

"Animal crackers?" Joey asked.

"Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time," he replied with a shrug. Next came Yugi and Grandpa's gift.

"Oh wow," she said when she opened it. She lifted a silver bracelet out of the box and put it on, tilting it so the gold letters spelling 'Tori' stood out even more. She jumped up and pulled them both into hugs. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Everyone was about sit down and have cake, prompting Bakura to smile for the first time all afternoon, when the door bell rang.

"I got it!" cried Tori. She rushed to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see a delivery man standing there with a box in his hands.

"I've got a package here for a Tori Peg," he said. Tori stated that she was the one he was looking for, then signed for the package and took it from him. As she slowly walked back into the living room, where her friends and family were waiting, she looked at the hand written address- she didn't recognize the writing.

"What is it, Tori?" asked Teá. Tori shook her head.

"It would seem I've gotten a package," she replied. "But everyone who would care to send me anything is here..."

"Open it, Tori!" Mokuba cried, excitedly. "Let's see what it is!" Tori laughed at the boy's enthusiasm and began to rip open the package. When she finally revealed the contents to herself, she couldn't believe what she saw. Inside were three Duel Monsters Cards, all of which Tori picked up instantly.

"I... I can't believe this," she said before darting up to her room, cards still in hand. Moments later, she returned with an old sketch book, rapidly flipping through the pages. She stopped suddenly and showed a page to her friends. It was drawing that looked like it had been done a long time ago- a woman with closed eyes and crimson colored wings. She was wearing a long silvery gown and a green headband decorated with a single red rose in her blonde hair. She was surrounded by flames. In the corner of the page was a little note: "Phoenix Angel- Level 7. ATK: 2600; DEF: 2000. Fairy/Effect: Each time this monster is destroyed, you can pay 500 life points to special summon it back to the field.'"

Next, Tori flipped to the next page and showed the next drawing- another fairy. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a braid that rested on her shoulder and she wore a light blue dress. Once again there was a note in one corner: "Piper Fairy- Level 4. ATK: 1800; DEF: 1900. Spellcaster/Effect: A mystical sorceress who summons forces with her Trumpet of Faith." In the other corner was a golden trumpet and another note: "Trumpet of Faith- Equip Magic Card. When equipped to the Piper Fairy, two Light monsters can be special summoned to your side of the field." 

That's when Tori revealed the cards in her hand: the Phoenix Angel, the Piper Fairy and Trumpet of Faith. A small tear rolled down her cheek, as she sat down and started to laugh. Tori laughed hysterically for a few minutes until she started to cry. Spirit walked over to her and gave her hand a lick. The girl lifted her free hand and scratched the puppy behind the ears.

"He remembered," she managed to say through her tears. A second later, Tori looked up at her companions and smiled. "I'm sorry, it's just that... I drew these when I was twelve. I thought maybe if I showed Uncle Max that I was interested in his company and that I liked art too, maybe he'd start loving me again. And it almost worked, he actually smiled and told me they were really good and maybe he'd use them someday... but that was the end of it. He even mentioned my Wingweaver- saying I created the Piper Fairy and Trumpet to get her onto the field easier... boy was he right." She let out a happy sigh. "But he remembered. He actually remembered..."

That night, Tori went to bed early, causing Yugi and Grandpa to go upstairs and check on her. What they found was a calming sight- on her bedside table was a half-eaten bag of Frosted Animal Crackers, next to her CD player, that had her new CD playing softly, and her new Duel Monsters cards. She was sleeping peacefully with one arm hugging her Wingweaver plushy and the other was lazily draped over Spirit, who was asleep as well. Her new bracelet was on her right wrist and glistened in the moonlight that came from Tori's window. There was a purely contented smile on her face, which made Yugi and Grandpa smile as well. They quietly turned and walked back downstairs.


	21. Family Affair

Tori felt as though someone was behind her, but every time she turned around there was nothing there.

"Get a grip, Tori," she thought. "No one is following you- Uncle Max hasn't made a sound in forever. You're perfectly safe."

//*Everything all right, Tori?*//

/*Yeah, I'm just kinda nervous. Domino is really creepy at night.*/

//*Well, I do believe I told you that seeing a different movie from everyone else was a bad idea- yours ended much later, thus meaning you would be walking home alone.*// Tori nodded.

/*I know, but that was the kind of movie Joey and I would have gone to see.*/ Joey had left to go visit his sister, Serenity- the poor girl was sick with pneumonia and Tori had urged Joey to go visit her.

"What about my dad?" Joey had asked her. "He won't let me go, even if it is to see Serenity." Tori rolled her eyes, in light of the situation. She had heard rumors about Joey's father- that he was an alcoholic and he abused Joey- but she never asked Joey about it. There were some places that she knew not to go when it came to Joey. He knew the same about her.

"Joey," she said. "Need I remind you that you haven't lived with your father in forever? What's he gonna do about it?" She was right- Joey had been staying with Tristen for the past few months, but Joey still didn't answer her question... at least not directly. He gave a light chuckle and said she was right- but in his mind, he was hoping Tori wouldn't have to find out what his father might do.

That was about a week ago. She missed Joey terribly, but didn't regret her suggestion. Although, she had to admit- it would have been nice to have him with her right now.

//*He'll be home tomorrow though, won't he?*// Tori let out a sigh.

/*Yeah... but it might as well be a year.*/ Tori heard something crash behind her. She spun around quickly and saw a few garbage cans knocked over on the sidewalk. Next to them was a black cat, digging through the trash. The girl shook her head- all that over a mangy black cat.

Suddenly, Tori felt something grab hold of the chain that held the Millennia Diamond, causing it to choke her. Tori fumbled with the chain for a moment, before finding the clasp that unhooked the necklace.

//*Tori! Tori, are you all right?*// Nothing- the bond between Hikaru and Tori seemed to be severed. //*TORINA!*// The girl was running as fast as she could- she could see her home in front of her. Just a little farther...

Yugi suddenly felt a jolt shoot through his body causing him to bend over and clutch his stomach, letting out a soft, but painful cry in the process. As Spirit barked his worry at the boy, Yami felt Yugi's pain and instantly appeared at his side.

"Yugi!" he said worriedly. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Tori," he replied. "There's something wrong with Tori." Before Yami could ask what he was talking about, the telephone rang. Yugi picked it up instantly. It was Joey.

"Yugi," he said, worry expressed in his voice. "Is Tori there? Let me talk to her!" Yugi let out a sigh.

"You felt it too?"

"You're damn right I felt it! I thought I was gonna scream, it hurt so bad! Where's Tori, what's happened to her?"

"She... she hasn't come home yet," Yugi said sadly. "We went to the movies and hers ran later than ours..."

"And you left her alone?! How could you do that Yugi?! Actually, don't even answer that- I'm on my way. You and Spirit be ready to go look for her." Yugi heard a click, which cued him to hang up the phone. Joey wasn't happy, that was obvious. But, he had never used that tone with Yugi before.

"You sure she woulda came this way?" asked Joey. He had arrived at Yugi's home about an hour after hanging up the phone- doing 85 in a 50 took a huge chunk out of the normal driving time. His old Charger could really kick it when it wanted to and he had lucked out that night- not a cop in sight. He, Spirit, Yugi and Yami were now combing the streets, looking for any and all signs of Tori.

"This is the quickest way home from the theater," Yugi said, scanning the area. "She's not to fond of the dark, so she would..."

"Oh my God..." Joey and Yugi shot a glance towards Yami, who was next to Spirit- the Millennia Diamond was in the dog's mouth. Yugi instantly went over and took it from him.

/Hikaru! Hikaru are you all right?/ The spirit suddenly appeared and looked at the boys, visibly worried out of her mind.

"She's not here, is she?" Yugi shook his head and Hikaru began to tremble, prompting Yami to take her in his arms. "She was so worried that she was being followed," Hikaru whispered. "We both thought it was paranoia... and now she's gone."

"Shh," Yami said softly. "Calm down, my love- everything will be all right." As Yami consoled his wife, Yugi seemed to be lost in thought.

"This isn't the work of Pegasus," he said finally. "He knows of the Millennia Diamond's powers and would take it in order to use those powers for himself."

"What are you sayin' Yuge?" asked Joey. "We've got a whole other bad guy to worry about?" Yugi nodded.

"I suggest we pay Ryou and Bakura a visit."

Tori felt like someone was running a jackhammer inside her head. Her instinct was to put a hand to her forehead, but found that task difficult. She opened her eyes to find she was in a chair with her hands securely tied behind her back. She looked down- not only were her legs tied, but her Millennia Diamond was missing as well. What was going on?

"So, you're finally awake are you?" Tori looked around and saw a man standing in a doorway in front of her. A shocked gasp escaped Tori's lips- he looked like Joey! But he was older and his eyes... they were so evil.

"Who are you?" she whispered. "What do you want with me?" The man let out a laugh as he walked towards her.

"You were the one who told my son to leave," he said. "Now I can't find him anywhere." He knelt down in front of Tori, putting his eyes level with hers and looking directly into them- Tori was scared stiff. "You're the only one who knows where he is," he continued. "And you're the only thing that can bring him back." He ran his fingers down her cheek, causing the girl to shudder. "But I'm not guaranteeing what condition you'll be in."That's when Tori realized what was going on: this was Joey's father and it seemed that he blamed her for Joey moving out. A tear rolled down Tori's cheek, following the path laid by the senior Wheeler's fingers.

"Joey," she thought. "For your own good, please don't come after me." She bit her trembling lip- if there was anytime to be scared, this was definitely it.

It was now two days after Tori's disappearance- the cops were searching for her, as were her friends. Yugi and Joey had went right over to Ryou and Bakura's home the morning after finding the Millennia Diamond, with Yami and Hikaru in tow. And, as their luck would have it, there had been no one home- the boys left a note, asking Ryou to call them when he returned home. 

"Don't worry, Joey," said Yugi. "Ryou will call us as soon as he can." Seconds later the phone rang. A short time later, Yugi, Joey, Yami, and Hikaru were at Ryou's home- Spirit was also there, growling at Bakura. Tristen and Teá had come along as well, wanting to find out just what was going on. As calmly as possible, Yugi explained what had happened two nights before, with Bakura giving him dirty looks the entire time.

"Oh, I get it," he said. "She disappears and it's automatically my fault?" Joey was about to say yes- considering that Bakura had kidnapped him and Mokuba and tried to use them to kill Tori, it was a reasonable assumption. But, when Yugi spoke up, he didn't seem to think so.

"We didn't come here to accuse you of anything, Bakura," he said. "We wanted to know if we could use your Millennium Ring." Yugi knew that the Millennium Ring located things by focusing on their Spirit Energy- all Bakura had to do was lock onto Tori's and that would be the end of it. There was a pause.

"You want me to help you find her?" the old tomb raider asked finally. Yugi, Yami and Hikaru nodded. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Because you owe her." Everyone looked over at Ryou, who had his arms crossed in front of him- his innocent young face was deeply enraged. "You'd still be in the Shadow Realm if Tori Peg hadn't had you brought back and she showed you mercy by not sending you back after that stunt you pulled down at the pier. Now if that stupid ring can find her, then by God you are going to use it to help find her- or else." Bakura's eyes narrowed.

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'm going to give Yami and Hikaru permission to send you right back where you belong and I'll destroy this ring so you can never return." Bakura scowled.

"Oh all right."

By this time, it was obvious to Tori what was in store for her- she was going to be used as a punching bag for a while, then as bait for Joey. The pain was nothing Tori couldn't stand. Granted, she had never felt anything quite like it before, but she wasn't about to give in. Joey's father, who's first name remained unknown, had moved her from the chair to the middle of the room- she was now hanging about two feet off the ground, her arms tied above her head... making it easy for Joey's father to strike her with his whip wherever he wanted. *Crack* Another pain shot across her back, but Tori remained silent.

"Tough little bitch- what is it going to take to make you cry?" Still silence- Tori had began to realize that her constant emotional attitude was her weakness. She wasn't going to abandon her emotions totally, but she wasn't going to use them right now. "You're gonna be a tough shell to crack, aren't you?" he asked her with a laugh. "Well, I've got other methods I can use." Tori really didn't like the sound of that, but she was going to stay strong. She was going to stay strong for the people who cared for her: Yugi, Joey, Teá, Grandpa, Ryou, Tristen, Spirit, Hikaru, Yami... and for herself. This time, she was going to do something for herself. And it was gonna take everything she had to stay strong through what was going to happen next...

"I can't find her." Everyone looked at Bakura in shock. "Don't look at me like that," he said. "It's not my fault the blasted thing can't pick her up!"

"What does that mean though?" asked Teá. "I know it's not good, but..." Bakura rolled his eyes.

"It means that the girl is either dead or whoever she's with has completely broken her spirit- she feels there is no reason to stay alive." Yugi let out a sigh, then looked at Ryou.

"Ryou, could I use your phone please?" he asked. "It's a long distance call, but I'll be glad to pay you back." Ryou nodded and gestured towards the phone.

"Who are you calling, aibou?" asked Yami. Yugi looked at him and shook his head.

"A last resort- the only other person who can find Tori... if she's still alive."

Tori felt dirty. Dirty and worthless. An experience like the one she had just gone through would do that to a person. She was sitting in the corner of a bed, her hands cuffed to the metal headpiece. Her bottom lip was bleeding, she had bruises all over her body, along side the wounds from the whip... but that wasn't even the worst of it. 

After he'd gotten his fill of whipping her, Joey's father let her down from the ceiling and placed her on the bed. She thought he was maybe he was finally going to leave her alone, if only for a moment... boy was she wrong. He had raped her. The thought of it disgusted her- he had her hands cuffed over her head and he sat on top of her. He tore her shirt at the seam along her shoulder and kissed her neck. Tori remembered letting out a frightened gasp, which was quickly silenced by Joey's father sticking his tongue in her mouth, followed by him biting her lip and causing it to bleed. She almost choked on her own blood as he went on like this was a normal thing for him- she wouldn't have doubted it. Her skirt was also torn and the necklace Teá had given her was lying on the ground. Tori scooted over to the side of the bed and managed to pick it up. As she looked at it, Tori knew it was over. She clenched her fist around the necklace.

"I'm sorry everyone- I tried."

"Sir, you have a telephone call- the caller said it was urgent." The employee handed his employer the telephone.

"This had better be important," the employer said into the phone. "I have important things to do right now." The caller took a deep breath.

"Pegasus, this is Yugi Moto. I- I need your help." Pegasus let out a laugh.

"You need _my_ help, Yugi-boy?" he asked. "What could you need my help with and what makes you think that I'll help you?"

"You mean you don't know? You haven't been spying on Tori recently?"

"I've been working on a new product for my company and haven't had time to 'spy' on my niece. So enlighten me- what don't I know?"

"Tori's missing," said Yugi. "She disappeared two nights ago on her way home from the movies- we've tried using the Millennium Ring, but it can't find her." There was a pause.

"Meaning she's dead or just wishes she was," Pegasus finally replied. "I take it that you want me to find her for you?"

"Yes, that's what I want. Please Pegasus, I'm not asking this for me. Tori's in real trouble, I can feel it. She doesn't deserve to die- not now and not the way I'm afraid that I'll find her..."

"I get the picture, Yugi-boy. And I'll do it, but on one condition."

"What's the condition?"

"I'm getting ready for a second Duelist Kingdom Tournament- if I help you find my niece, you and Joseph Wheeler must participate in the tournament... and you can bring your little friends along for the ride. Do we have a deal?" Yugi sighed- instead of one of defeat, like Pegasus had expected, it was a sigh of relief.

"Yes, we have a deal- now please, just tell me where she is." Pegasus let out a laugh.

"All right then, Yugi-boy. I'm putting you on hold for a moment: when I come back, I'll tell you where she is."

Pegasus pushed the hold button. What was Yugi Moto thinking? Calling him up and asking for his help- did he actually think he cared for Tori? Of course not- this was just an easy way to get Yugi and Joey into the tournament. He'd work on the other participants later... now he had to find Torina. He tapped into the powers of his Millennium Eye and was soon inside his niece's mind, looking through her memories. He looked through ones of the past forty-eight hours and found himself appalled at what he saw. That poor girl... 

He then focused on things that might let Yugi know where she was: things outside the window, things inside the building... description of the girl's captor. Seconds later, he was reporting back to Yugi.

"She's in a motel of some sort," he said. "There's a neon sign outside one of the windows that reads "Easy Motel- Open 24 hours;" I figuring there's more on the sign, but she can't see it. Also... the person who has her looks remarkably like Joseph Wheeler and he has acted less than proper to her." Yugi didn't know what to say... except for one thing.

"Thank you Pegasus- let me know about the tournament." Pegasus gave no reply and hung up the phone, cuing Yugi to do the same. He then looked over at his friends and relayed what he had been told. He thought Joey would blow up instantly, but he just looked at the ground and shook his head.

"I know where she is," he said. "Pegasus was right, there is more to that sign." He looked up. "She's at the Sleep-Easy Motel- let's call the cops."

"So, was it good for you too?" Joey's father asked as he sat down next to her. Tori closed her eyes and still refused to speak to him, which prompted him to slap her across the face. "I can't believe you Torina- I thought we had something special. I was looking foreword to telling that son of mine all about it." Joey...

"Joey," thought Tori. "Joey, I am so sorry." Suddenly, there was someone pounding at the door.

"Open up, Wheeler!" yelled a voice. "This is the Police- let us in!" Joey's father let out a scowl as he fumbled to free Tori from the bed. Just as he managed to get the key into the lock, the door came flying open, followed by a storm of police officers. They took down Joey's father and dragged him kicking and screaming out the door. 

Tori still had her eyes closed, afraid of what she might see. Then, the handcuffs that had been cutting into her wrists loosened, then vanished. Seconds later, someone took her into their arms. Her eyes opened and she let out a gasp.

"Joey!" she cried as best she good, her voice being hoarse and raspy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled in close to him. "Joey..."

The Sleep-Easy Motel was less than a block away from the place Joey had once called home. He never thought his father would be stupid enough to take Tori some place familiar... then again, he never really thought his father would take Tori in the first place. Joey looked at her- he really looked at her and was horrified at what he saw. Her clothes were torn, she was bruised and bleeding from various areas of her body. Around her wrists, especially- where the handcuffs had been. They had been so tight that whenever she moved her hands, the cuffs cut into her. Joey became angry as he thought of the person who had hurt Tori.

"Dear God," he thought, "Dad, what have you done to her?" He then held Tori close and kissed her forehead.

"Joey," she whispered one last time before passing out in his arms, causing a tear to roll down Joey's cheek. 

"It's okay Tori-girl. I'm right here."

"And I'm never gonna leave you again," he thought. "Never."

Tori was in the hospital for a few days after that. Her wounds were major, but not fatal- the scars that didn't show were the hardest to treat and would take longest to heal. And although she had been crying in his arms right after her rescue, Tori refused to see Joey.

"I can't do it, Teá," she told her best friend as they sat in Tori's bedroom. "I can't look at him without thinking that I betrayed him..."

"Don't say that, Tori," Teá said kindly. "Joey knows it wasn't your fault and he loves you no matter what... and deep down inside, you know that." Tori nodded as she absentmindedly scratched Spirit behind the ears and sighed sadly.

"But that doesn't take the feeling away." Teá let out a sigh- it was going to take awhile for Tori to get over this, but she would get over it. And as her friend, Teá would be there to help.

Tori couldn't believe it: she was back in that awful motel room. She looked around the room- she didn't see Joey's father, but she could feel that he was there somewhere. Suddenly, someone shoved her from behind and she landed facedown on the bed. She felt a hand tightly grasp her should and flip her over- it was Joey's father. He smiled at her as he climbed on top of her once again and leaned in towards her face.

"You came back," he whispered into her ear before kissing her cheek. "I knew you'd come back." Tori struggled to get him off of her but was to no avail- he wouldn't budge.

"No," she pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "No, please- not again! STOP!"

Grandpa had been in his office, which was next to the stairway that led to Tori's apartment, filling out forms for the card shop, when he heard Tori scream. He instantly dropped what he was doing and rushed up to Tori's room. When he reached the girl, she had a cold sweat pouring down her face and was tossing and turning- it was as though she was fighting with something. Spirit was on the floor, with his paws on the bed, whimpering- it was as though he was trying to wake Tori up.

"Tori!" cried Grandpa, lightly grasping her shoulders. "Tori wake up!"

He had his hands around Tori's neck and was squeezing it as tight as he could, choking her. Tori managed to gasp for air, but she knew it wasn't enough to keep her alive.

"Let her go, Dad!" yelled a voice. Tori turned her head to see Joey standing in the doorway. He rushed over to his father and pulled him off of Tori. "Leave her alone!" The two of them began to fight and it seemed like Joey would win... until his father pulled out a knife and jabbed it in his stomach. Tori let out a frightened gasp.

"Joey!" she yelled. Joey fell to the ground with a thud and remained still. "No! Joey, no!" Joey's father turned back towards her, the knife still in his hand.

"Now, it's your turn." Tori eyes widened with fear.

Grandpa was running out of options. He knew his granddaughter was hurting and he had to help her. But, how to wake her up?

"Tori!" he called again. "Come on, honey wake up!" Suddenly, Tori sat straight up, as if she'd been shot out of a cannon. Her bottom quivered as she gasped for air and looked around the room. When her eyes landed on Grandpa, she jumped in fear and backed away from him. "Whoa, calm down, Tori! It's just me!" Tori relaxed a bit, but she was still shaking, prompting Grandpa to wrap his arms around her. "It's okay, Tori- no one's gonna hurt you."

Yugi had woken up when he heard Grandpa rush up the stairs and rushed up himself after hearing Tori cry out for Joey. When he peeked into Tori's room and saw his grandfather calming her down, he slowly went back downstairs, smiling a bit.

//Everything all right, Yugi?//

/Yeah- everything's just fine./

Hikaru had also heard the goings on and was about to help her Hikari, when she heard Grandpa enter the room and decided to let him handle it. It wasn't because she didn't care about Tori- it was because she wanted Tori to remember that others cared for her too. The girl seemed to have forgotten that since the rape and if anyone could remind her, it would be her grandfather.

"It was him, wasn't it Tori?" asked Grandpa. "Joey's father?" Tori's head bobbed up and down, but she didn't say a word. "He tried to hurt Joey?" Another nod.

"He killed him," she whispered. "He was trying to save me..." Grandpa smiled as he hugged her tight.

"Sounds like that boy really loves you." Tori thought about that and realized something- the feeling was gone. The feeling of betrayal had vanished and she felt the way she did when she and Joey first started dating- her heart was fluttering and she felt completely in love. She smiled and sighed.

"Yeah- I guess he does."


	22. When You Come Back To Me Again

"Joey, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Yugi asked him. It was the morning after Tori's nightmare and Joey had come over for breakfast, wondering if he'd see Tori... and if he did, how would he tell her what he needed to. In an effort to keep himself occupied, he was doing the dishes for Grandpa- something he never did.

"Yeah," he muttered softly. "I'm all right." That's when Tori quietly walked into the room, putting a finger to her lips to silence Yugi. She tip-toed up behind Joey, threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Joey turned to face her- she was smiling like there was no tomorrow.

"Joey," she said. "I am so sorry. I just..." Joey removed Tori's arms from his shoulders and looked at her- he looked so cold.

"Tori, I can't do this anymore," he said. Tori gave him a confused look. "I can't... live with all this stuff happening, with you... it's over Tori." With that, Joey walked out the kitchen door and then out of the card shop. Tori just stood there, unsure of what just happened. When it finally did get through to her, she slowly walked out of the kitchen and out the front door after Joey. This wasn't over yet.

__

There's a ship out, on the ocean   
At the mercy of the sea   
It's been tossed about, lost and broken   
Wandering aimlessly   
And God somehow you know that ship is me.  
Joey knew that he had just broken Tori's heart, but it was for the best. Tori now had numerous cuts on her back, ones that would probably scar, because of him- because his father tried to use Tori to get to him. Tori was safer this way. She had to be.

__

'Cause there's a lighthouse, in the harbor   
Shining faithfully   
Pouring its light out, across the water   
For this sinking soul to see   
That someone out there still believes in me.

"Joseph Raleigh Wheeler, stop where you are!" Joey was so shocked by the voice, he had no choice but to stop. It couldn't be! He turned around- sure enough, Tori was quickly walking towards him... and she looked miserable- tear lines were drawn on her face and her eyes were red. "I don't know what's going on with you," she told him. "But I'm not giving up on us- not yet. Tell me what's wrong."

__

On a prayer, in a song   
I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on   
Raining down, against the wind   
I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end   
When you come back to me again.

Joey let out a sigh as he looked at her. He had always hated seeing her cry, let alone being the cause of it. And he felt his heart breaking as he looked at her.

"Tori, I don't want to hurt you," he said. "He hurt you because of me... because I left and... I can't see you hurt again."

__

There's a moment we all come to   
In our own time and our own space   
Where all that we've done, we can undo   
If our heart's in the right place. 

"You're hurting me even more by trying to leave!" cried Tori. "Besides, didn't you promise you'd never leave me again?" Joey let out a small gasp- he had thought that the night Tori was rescued from his father. He had _thought_ that. How did she know? 

__

On a prayer, in a song   
I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on   
Raining down, against the wind   
I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end   
When you come back to me again   
"Joey, you're the best thing to ever happen to me!" Tori continued. "I love you more than anyone in the world and I always will." She grabbed his hand. "Please, Joey- let's work this out, together." Joey looked down at the ground and shook his head. "Aishiteru, my Koi..."

__

And again I see my yesterday's in front of me   
Unfolding like a mystery   
You're changing all that is and used to be 

"Tori," he whispered. He looked back up and showed that he had tears in his eyes as well. "Koi, I am sorry. I didn't mean..." Tori smiled and pulled him close for a kiss.

__

On a prayer, in a song   
I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on   
Raining down, against the wind   
I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end   
When you come back to me again 

"I know Joey." she whispered as he held her tight. "I know."

Yugi, Yami and Hikaru sat in the living room playing a card game known as "Sore Thumb," where you had to get rid of all the cards in your hand by laying down certain combinations. The only problem was that Yami and Hikaru didn't quiet grasp the concept of "lowest score wins." As Yugi tried to explain this for the umpteenth-millionth time, the telephone rang. He let out a sigh of relief as he went over to answer it.

"Moto residence, Yugi speaking. Oh hey. Huh? Okay, when will you be home? Oh okay- I'll see you then... yes, I'll tell her. Bye."

"Was that Bishoujo, aibou?" Yami asked as Yugi hung up the phone. Yugi gave a nod and sat back down on the couch.

"She and Joey are gonna hang out for a while," he said. "Talk about some things." He looked over at Hikaru and smiled. "She said she's sorry she left without telling you and that she'll be fine." Hikaru smiled.

"She's with Joey," she said. "Of course she'll be fine."

Tori and Joey headed for the rooftop they had danced on during their date. They sat and watched the clouds roll by in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, Tori let out a sigh.

"So what now?" she asked Joey. "Is there still an 'us' or what?" Joey shook his head.

"I want to say yes," he replied. "But my heart is telling me no." Tori looked at him, shocked.

"What do you mean? You- you don't love me anymore?"

"Tori, I- something's tellin' me that I'm just gonna hurt you!"

"You're hurting me by having this conversation, Joseph Wheeler!" Tori cried. "Now damn it, can't you just say that you'll always love me? And you'll always be here for me?"

"But I wasn't there for you! I couldn't stop him from hurting you! I knew I shouldn't have left, but I did anyway, and he hurt you."

"Joey, it was your sister! I would never ask you to stay with me when she's sick! Besides, I should have known better then to walk home alone!"

"But-" Joey started, only to get cut off. 

"It wasn't your fault, Joey. It's no one's fault but his. And I'll be damned if what he did wrecks what we have." Tori looked at him and gave him a soft smile, one she gave him and him alone. "Now just tell me that you still love me and we'll go home and watch a movie- just you and me."

"Torina Pegasus," he said. "Of course I still love you." He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

Meanwhile, back at the Card Shop, Hikaru felt a warm feeling creep over her. Realizing what it was, she snuggled up against Yami and closed her eyes.

"Congratulations, my young light" she thought. "You have finally found peace."


End file.
